Just Keep Smilin'
by Belle Isle
Summary: 24-year-old Luke Porter is a bright, optimistic country boy thrust into a dark, unforgiving world. With his best friend and worst enemy at his side, he's confident they'll make it through anything. But as the world crumbles around him, he's forced to make a promise that only becomes harder to keep: to just keep smiling. Written in the style of the game. [DISCONTINUED]
1. EPISODE ONE: Anew Every Morning

_"If we just start every day with a smile, we'll get through with it."_

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thank you for taking the time to check this story out. I hope not to disappoint. This fanfiction is currently rated T for potentially including: graphic violence, vulgar/profane language and humor, non-graphic sexual themes/language, controversial subjects, and death. It is possible that the rating may change to M in the future if later chapters become too dark, intense, or controversial to warrant a T rating. For updates and illustrations of the story, please visit my DeviantArt account, RegularCasanova, or my tumblr account the-regular-casanovas. I appreciate any feedback you may have. If you have comments or reviews, please leave them in the review section, send them to me via private message, or contact me on social media.**

 ** _Just Keep Smilin'_ is written in the style of the video game, though all "choices" have been predetermined. The story is also divided into episode arcs, like the seasons of the video game. It is possible that, in the future, there will be an interactive adaptation of this fanfiction to allow the readers to make their own decisions.**

* * *

 _This game series adapts to the choices you make._

 _The story is tailored by how you play._

* * *

 **JUST KEEP SMILIN': _SEASON ONE_**

* * *

 **EPISODE ONE:** _**Anew Every Morning**_

 _Part 1: The Nightmare Begins_

* * *

Luke swung open the rusted doors to a seedy bar in inner-city Atlanta. It was dusk, and the establishment only looked more questionable in the evening light. The air was warm and humid, typical weather for mid-July Georgia. Brown eyes scanned the venue, looking for his best, or only friend. They had planned to drink away their sorrows tonight, given the fact that they were on verge of losing everything after they had been forced to close their mismanaged business the week before.

Surely enough, Nick was there, sitting next to a gorgeous brunette and making a pathetic attempt to impress her. She didn't seem too intrigued. The petite woman was dressed to the nines with a spiffy new blouse and black stilettos, while toting a designer purse. She was definitely out of place here. Or, at least she gave off that impression when compared to the bar's usual patrons.

Luke approached the two, interrupting Nick's sad excuse of a conversation.

| Hey, man. |

| Hello, miss. |

 _ **| He's an asshole. |**_

| … |

"Forgive him, he's just a… jerk." Luke prided himself on refraining from profanity around women. Most of the time, at least. He chuckled, leaning over and placing a hand on Nick's shoulder. The other man looked up at him, irritated. The lady giggled, amused by their interaction.

"Hey, Mr. Casanova, give a guy a chance," Nick spat, rolling his eyes. Luke could make out the alcohol on his breath, if the empty mug within reach wasn't enough of an indicator that he was already rather buzzed.

"I figure she's already given you far too many chances to impress her. C'mon, leave her alone. Clearly, she ain't buyin' it anytime soon," he teased. The belle had already risen from her seat, freeing up the space for Luke.

Nick pouted. "Asshole." When he noticed the woman making her way towards the exit, he called out after her, "Hey! At least gimme yer name!"

She looked back at the two dorks with a sympathetic smile, shaking her head. "It's Carley. Carley Vigil, bless both of your hearts."

The quintessential southern dismissal. Her accent was distinctly not-southern, but she'd done her best to adapt to the lingo of the South, no question. Most Yankees would mistake that for a genuine wish of good luck, but every respectable southern belle knew just how to frame her language so as to always maintain a prim and proper image.

Of course, it was no secret to southern men that "bless your heart" actually meant something along the lines of "I think you're a complete and utter idiot," depending on the context.

"Hey, Nick, I'm sorry I blew your chances with her..." The sarcasm in Nick's tone couldn't be any more obvious.

| Sorry, man. |

 _ **Like you had any.**_

| Fuck off. |

| … |

Luke laughed at his friend's attitude. "Like you ever had any," he joked. "A girl like that's probably way out of your league. She might be in mine, though-"

"-Just gimme another beer, asshole. And you're payin'. You know I don't got a damn cent left after you convinced me to blow our life savings with you on whatever that bullshit was," Nick grumbled.

"Hey, it was worth a shot. And we had a blast, so who gives a damn now if it didn't work out?" Luke grabbed Nick's arm, with a wide grin across his face.

"I do, jerk." Nick looked away from his friend.

Despite the fact that their "big fuckin' plan," in Nick's words, was over as soon as it started due to their lack of financial common sense, Luke had insisted that they persevere. They'd already left their sleepy hometown in the Tennessean countryside for Atlanta two years prior, and he'd wanted to make the most of the city while they were young and still had the chance.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get ourselves some more to drink. That's why we're here, right? To forget about everythin' for the night." Luke motioned for the bartender and pulled out his wallet.

Nick chuckled, lightening up again. "How the hell do you still have cash? I ain't aware of somethin' goin' on?"

"Nick, it's called havin' priorities. And alcohol's always been pretty high up on the list," Luke stated, laughing.

"I guess so." Nick rose his arm and held out his mug. "Well… here's to bein' completely fuckin' broke. At least one of us." He smirked.

"Hey, we're endin' this just how it started. Completely wasted." Luke laughed and joined in him taking a swig after clinking mugs.

"Just don't come up with another ridiculous idea," Nick teased. "At least not until we actually have normal jobs again and enough money to try somethin' else out."

Luke flashed him a bright smile. "You already know that I can't make any promises, Nick."

Nick just rolled his eyes jokingly in response.

* * *

Several beers later, the two men were clearly inebriated. Honestly, Luke liked drunk Nick better than sober Nick at times. He wasn't as much of a sarcastic asshole when he was tipsy, and he was actually willing to open up about his feelings. Well, he liked happy and overly-affectionate drunk Nick. Luke still didn't really know how to help Nick when he was going through one of his depressive phases while drunk. Probably because he would be equally intoxicated and unable to provide much consolation. Those times occurred because they not only enjoyed alcohol to celebrate, but also to get their minds off of things. Unfortunately, drinking would only worsen Nick's sadness if he was already feeling down prior to downing a mug.

Nick raised what was probably the fifth or sixth mug for him. "This one's to, uh..."

| To new beginnings. |

| To being single. |

 _ **| To being best friends. |**_

| … |

Both men would always open up about things while they were intoxicated, even if they'd probably forget by the morning. Luke was officially out of cash in his wallet by now, so in a rare stroke of brilliance, his foggy mind resolved to make the night's last toast count.

"This one… is t' bein' the best of friends and havin' you by my side." Luke had a broad grin across his face.

"Y-yeah. I love ya, Luke." Nick smiled gently.

It was the drink talking. Sober Nick wouldn't dare admit that he genuinely cared about Luke, let alone hug him out of the blue. Nick's arms were suddenly wrapped around Luke's torso, his chin resting on the shorter man's shoulder in a spontaneous embrace.

 _ **(O) Hug Nick**_

(X) Back out

Luke slowly reciprocated. He felt Nick's happiness and smiled, both of their faces florid and glowing pink from the alcohol. Most would get the wrong impression, given how long they remained in each other's arms. But their drunk selves really didn't care what the world thought of them.

Luke didn't move from their embrace until he heard that dull buzzing and vibrating in his pocket.

[ Answer call ]

 _ **[ Ignore call ]**_

Not wanting to ruin the moment, Luke left his cellphone for the voicemail. He pulled away and rested his hands on Nick's shoulders.

 _ **(?) This action will have consequences.**_

"Y'know I'll always be here for you, Nick. I got yer back… To the end," Luke reassured, slurring his speech.

"You better, asshole," Nick hiccuped.

"I mean it; long as we're together, we got this." Luke smiled lazily at Nick, feeling his phone pulse with several texts.

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

Nick raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Don't tell me you got some new retarded idea-"

"-Maybe." Luke grinned. "'Cause we're still takin' over the world someday, and I was thinkin'-"

"-Yeah, yeah. Jus'... get us home," Nick interrupted, laughing.

* * *

Luke practically had to drag Nick's intoxicated self to the stop and onto the vintage bus. It wasn't easy, given that he was almost as wasted himself. He let Nick down on the old leather seats, allowing the dark-haired man to rest his head on his shoulder and make himself comfortable. Nick was already nearly passed out, and didn't say much.

It only took a few minutes for Nick to begin snoring on Luke. The brunet didn't mind and kept himself occupied aimlessly peering through the window at the bright Atlantan lights. They were almost soothing, and he could sense himself dozing off.

 **(Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (E)**

It took almost all of Luke's strength to stay awake as he waited for their stop. Thankfully it was still the weekend, since he was definitely keen on sleeping in after a night like this.

Eventually, they reached their stop.

 _ **(O) Shake Nick**_

(X) Talk to Nick

Luke grabbed the other man, rocking him back and forth in order to awaken him.

"I'm fuckin'... tired," Nick protested, giving Luke his best attempt at a glare with his drowsy eyes. He was always moody when he was exhausted.

"Stop complainin'. It ain't... more than a couple a' blocks," Luke yawned, beginning to drift off.

Nick groaned and rose from his seat, probably noticing that he had fallen asleep on his friend's shoulder. "Yeah… all right."

It took everything for Luke to keep himself awake while leading Nick back to their cramped apartment. He had to hold Nick's hand to ensure that they both made it back together.

Luke had never liked walking around late at night. Thankfully, they didn't live the absolute worst parts of town, but it definitely wasn't one of the best. They passed by dim windows, fresh paint to cover up graffiti, and what looked like some crackhead sleeping in an alley. Luke didn't pay much attention to their surroundings, until he noticed the gaunt woman stand up, lumbering towards him and Nick.

 _ **(O) Look at woman**_

Her skin was a pale, sickly shade of a teal color and her opaque eyes were clouded over by what looked like cataracts. Her clothes were disheveled and her right arm was covered in what seemed to be needle marks and cuts. She was making some eerie, animal-like noises as she slowly approached them.

"I can't tell what this lady's been on. Probably somethin'... I've never heard of." Luke squinted and tried to focus again, as if he thought he was just seeing things. But the suspicious woman was definitely there, and inching closer.

 _ **(O) Look at alley**_

Luke could make out a serious pile of syringes, bags, and containers over where she'd been laying, like she'd been running a pharmacy or something. She had probably overdosed on some seriously laced-up narcotics, though he had no clue as to what kinds of exotic drugs the woman could possibly be taking.

"The hell is she on?" Nick looked up, furrowing his thick eyebrows.

[ Talk to her ]

 _ **[ Get away from her ]**_

"No idea, but we ain't stickin' 'round t' find out," Luke resolved.

It wasn't hard getting away from the junkie, considering that she was completely beat up and high on God-knows-what. Nick turned his head back as Luke helped him upstairs, noticing that the woman had collapsed onto the sidewalk and began pulling herself across the ground.

"Heh, look. She's crawlin' now. Crazy chick." Nick chuckled.

| Yeah, she's gone crazy. |

| I don't think that's normal. |

 _ **| Let's just get inside. |**_

| … |

"Let's just get inside," Luke decided. "We're both tired."

 _ **(O) Open door**_

He fumbled with the keys to their tiny studio apartment, managing to get it to budge after a minute.

Luke helped Nick down onto their bed and locked the door to their little flat. He set their alarm clock for late in the morning, giving them enough time to rest sufficiently while having space to be productive tomorrow. He kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the mattress next to Nick, too exhausted to undress himself.

"Night," Nick said.

"Yeah… G'night."

Luke smiled and shut his eyes, looking forward to another day of adventure with his best friend. Perhaps they'd gotten more than they bargained for. But neither of them could have ever anticipated what the next two and a half years would bring.


	2. Rise and Shine

**EPISODE ONE: _Anew Every Morning_**

 _Part 2: Rise and Shine_

* * *

Luke awoke to the obnoxious ringing of his alarm clock, his hungover mind clouded by the throbbing headache.

 _ **(O) Turn off alarm**_

He barely managed to reach out and slam the clock, trapped underneath Nick. They always seemed to wake up in a jumbled mess. Luke and Nick would both insist that the only reason they slept together was because the couch was too uncomfortable, though Luke didn't really mind anymore. He'd learned to deal with Nick.

Though, his body was sore from sleeping fully clothed, his hangover, and Nick crushing him throughout the night. Thankfully, he could feel his friend awakening.

"Get rid of that piece of shit; it's so fuckin' annoying," Nick whined. He was already irritable in the mornings, but especially so when hungover.

"Just get off me. I'm stuck here and I really don't wanna feel your mornin' wood all against me," Luke joked.

"If you hadn't interrupted us, maybe I wouldn't be... Fine. Whatever." Nick rolled over onto his side of the bed.

"Keep dreamin'," Luke teased. Nick just shot him a glare.

 _ **(** **O) Look at phone**_

"I wonder what that call 'n texts were about." Luke flipped open the cover to his cell phone, noticing that the missed call and messages were from his younger sister, Caitlin. Her texts read, "Please call back when you can Luke," followed by "It is important."

Luke held the phone up to his ear, listening to the voicemail message she had also left. The automated voice confirmed that it had been yesterday night.

Caitlin had said, "Luke, I bet that you and Nick must be livin' large in Atlanta and forgotten about everything by now, but daddy is gettin' worse, and I think you should come visit him. I know that you and Nick have been really busy ever since you left two years ago, and that you and daddy don't get along all the time, but I feel like you should come back to see him again if... um... do you know what I mean?" Her voice cracked. "Please call back soon."

"Fuck," Luke whispered, unable to react much to the news. He did not feel much then except for overwhelming guilt. He and Nick had left their hometown for Atlanta two years ago, as soon as they had graduated college and returned from their infamous road trip. While Nick went back to stop by every once in a while, Luke had neglected to go home since then.

He looked over at Nick, who was pouring himself a bowl of stale cereal. Luke made his way over to the couch, sitting down next to him.

"I'm fixin' to head back and visit for the day," Nick mentioned flatly, reaching for the remote.

* * *

 _ **[ GO WITH NICK ]**_

[ REFUSE ]

* * *

"I'm comin' with you," Luke decided.

 _ **(?) This action will have consequences.**_

Nick looked back at him, raising his eyebrows. "What? You finally wanna head home? Figured you'd never look back, given it was your 'bright' idea to move out here," Nick bantered.

"Look, man, I know I ain't been back home since we came to Atlanta, and I never came with when you went to visit before, but... it's important now," Luke explained. He thought that Nick understood that something was wrong, seeing that his smug expression turned serious.

Nick looked down, switching their old television on. He didn't press it. "Yeah, okay."

The news reporter began, _"Good day, Atlanta. Today is July 20, 2003. As we begin our mid-morning segment, we'd like to discuss…"_ But neither of them paid much attention to the broadcast. The reporter droned on about the weather, the upcoming elections, rioters, and various local stories. Nowadays, they only had access to a few news networks via their antenna, having been forced to give up cable and any interesting channels a while ago.

"This shit's borin'," Nick complained, reaching for the remote. Luke didn't object.

Nick got up and went to fetch a new top. He replaced his black t-shirt with his old favorite, his trusty Chasers band shirt. Luke smiled, remembering how they had made a stop all the way in Seattle two years ago and listened to the band live as part of that summer road trip. He recalled fighting for Nick's shirt with the band's small, yet devoted, group of fans.

Luke made up his mind and announced, "You know, I think I might have to stay home for a while... more than just today." He knew he had to be there for Caitlin and his mother, Linda, if what he'd feared was really happening now.

"I... think that's a good idea," Nick agreed. He could be daft at times, but he seemed to know what Luke meant. He had probably heard about Luke's father and his worsening condition.

Luke had remained seated on the couch as Nick prepared himself, contemplating the situation and the inevitable. He didn't know what he was going to say. What could he say? It had been two years since he'd left and never looked back. Lately, he hadn't even bothered calling home more than once every few weeks, and he was rarely the one to initiate. His sister or mother were almost always the ones to call first. The guilt was definitely coming back to him.

Thankfully, Nick brought Luke out of his session of brooding. He reached into their nightstand drawer, pulling out a lewd magazine. "Figure I'll need it if we're gonna be home a while," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

| Yeah, whatever. |

| Seriously? |

 _ **| Pervert. |**_

| … |

"Figures, perv." Luke rolled his eyes, pretending to disapprove. He appreciated Nick's attempt to at least make him laugh.

"I'm the perv now? I've seen your 'french girls,' DiCaprio," Nick teased, grabbing Luke's old sketchbook. Luke chuckled, amused.

Nick began flipping through Luke's sketches. "I sure see why you ended up decidin' to major in art history and not actually drawin' stuff."

"Hey, they're a hell of a lot better than anythin' you could do," Luke retorted, laughing and wresting the sketchbook from Nick's hands.

"Fine... I guess I might give you that one." Nick grinned. "Let's just get goin' already."

Even if he found himself annoyed by Nick's childish antics at times, Luke couldn't deny that he made him smile. He'd have liked to continue joking around with Nick, but he remembered the reason for which they had to go, and began preparing to leave for Tennessee.

 _ **(O) Use the bathroom**_

Luke lifted the toilet seat and emptied his bladder, trying to aim as best as he could. He turned on the faucet, washing his hands and splashing water onto his face to freshen up. He looked up into the mirror, examining his appearance.

"I could probably use a haircut and a shave soon, but I actually do like my mustache and chin stubble. I guess I might start combin' my hair back or to the sides if it gets too long, though," Luke mentioned. His bangs were starting to disturb his eyes. "Maybe I should jus' get it cut real short like Nick does."

 _ **(O) Get dressed**_

Luke opened up their closet, looking at the selection. It mainly consisted of simple tees, sweaters, and jeans. Neither of them paid much attention to their wardrobe. It wasn't like they could afford much more, anyways.

He pulled off his burgundy sweater and pants, replacing them with a simple white t-shirt and a different pair of faded, blue jeans.

"C'mon, man!" Nick slammed the car horn. Luke hadn't noticed that Nick was already outside, impatient as always.

 _ **(O) Grab sketchbook**_

"Can't forget this." Luke made sure to pick up his sketchbook before making his way out, locking the door to their flat. He swung open the car door and got into the shotgun seat. He saw that Nick had brought the magazine with them.

"What? I wasn't kiddin'..." Nick justified, turning the key. Luke just laughed to himself, though he also noticed that Nick was still noticeably more hungover than he was. Thankfully, Luke had always found it easier to recover after a night of drinking.

"Hey, Nick, lemme drive. You had a good deal more than I did last night," Luke said.

Nick looked back at him. "Eh, fine. Whatever."

Luke made his way around the car, chuckling as Nick awkwardly climbed over into the passenger seat. He started the ignition, and they were on the road.


	3. Going Home

**EPISODE ONE** **:** _ **Anew Every Morning**_

 _Part 3: Going Home_

* * *

Luke steered their old Civic onto the 85 northbound, noticing the relatively clear streets. His hungover mind was beginning to clear up, and thankfully, the highway was relatively uncongested. The lack of traffic was probably due to it being a late Sunday morning. He figured most everybody was still at morning service. Given the number of churches in the South, it usually wasn't necessary to get onto the interstate to get to service or mass.

"Hey, turn on the radio, man. I'm fixin' for some good indie stuff," Nick requested. He seemed to be in a better mood now. It looked like his hangover wasn't as bad as it had seemed earlier.

Luke smiled back at Nick. "Sure thing."

 _ **(O) Turn on radio**_

Luke reached for the knob, switching on their old radio. After waiting for the signal to clear up, he could make out some of the station he'd connected to. It seemed to be a news report: "...attacks in Kirkwood and East Lake, residents are advised to-"

"-Pretty borin' if you ask me." Nick grabbed the knob, switching to one of his favorite music stations.

 _ **[ Listen to music ]**_

[ Go back to the news report ]

"Yeah, it is, ain't it?" Luke agreed. He turned up the volume to the radio. Some indie track with a heavy beat and invigorating rhythm that neither of them had ever heard before was playing.

Nick had always been one for underrated, obscure bands, though he wasn't one of those people who insisted that the underground things were inherently better, or that anything on the Top 40 was "mainstream trash" not worth the time. He was just as open to popular bands as the lesser-known ones, though he had always sympathized more with the underdogs. Luke appreciated his taste in music, and Nick had tried his best to introduce him to some of his favorite groups and albums.

"This song seems pretty sweet," Nick said, propping his feet on the dashboard and knocking some clutter onto the floor in the process. He rolled down the shotgun window and leaned his arm outside. Luke looked back at him, smiling. Nick seemed so relaxed and at ease.

"I'm really gettin' into this song," Luke mentioned.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to figure out what its name is sometime." Nick looked back at his friend, grinning.

Luke was distracted by his friend. "Definitely. You always had some good taste."

"I just focus on a few lines that stand out to me, and I can usually find the track again later, in case they don't mention its actual name on the radio," Nick explained.

"I guess that's a good strategy." Luke had kept his gaze fixed on Nick rather than the actual road for a while now.

"Once we get home, you bet I'm gonna bring out all those albums I didn't get a chance to take along with us to Atlanta." Nick smiled happily, probably glad that Luke had decided to come back to their hometown on his own accord.

"We could rock out in your room just like we'd used to back in high school…" Luke chuckled. "Though, your folks'd always get pissed at us for turnin' up, especially when-"

"-Turn, dumbass! Watch the fuckin' road!"

 _ **(O) Turn left**_

"Fuck!" Luke looked back at the windshield, swerving the car to the left and around a corner as it nearly grazed the concrete barrier surrounding the interstate. He thought he still might have scratched the side mirror, though. Luke hadn't noticed the sharp turn until it was nearly too late, being preoccupied with Nick's conversation and the radio.

Luke took a deep breath afterwards and gave them a second to process what might have become one of those near-death experiences. "That was close-"

"You could have fuckin' crashed into that, asshole!" Nick's sour mood quickly returned. "Why the fuck are you drivin' anyways? I knew it was stupid lettin' you take the wheel…"

| You're still more hungover than I am. |

| Fine, you can drive. |

 _ **| Because of your horrible temper. |**_

| … |

"Because you always get into a fit with your road rage and everythin'. Listen to yourself, man." Luke laughed to himself. "I mean, we don't need to piss off any more people nowadays. And you sure have a way of doin' just that with people, even more so when you're behind the wheel. I know that everybody gets a bit worked up when they're drivin', but we both know you can be a special case at times."

"Yeah, I'm obviously just overreactin' about the fact that you almost wrecked our car and might've gotten us killed right now." Nick rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry." Luke maintained his gaze on the road, not wanting to provoke Nick's anger again.

"Jus' don't do it again," Nick grumbled.

"I won't, all right? I learned my lesson already, Nick, so it ain't necessary to keep on lecturin' me."

Nick shook his head. "Whatever. Just turn the music back up."

Luke turned the knob, increasing the volume again. Nick tilted his seat back further and looked out his window aimlessly at the blur of Atlanta buildings, trees, and cars. They remained silent for a while, contemplating things and trying to just enjoy the music, until Nick decided to speak up again and change the subject.

"So, what do you figure when we get there? I mean, you ain't been home in a while," he mentioned.

 _ **| Visit my family. |**_

| Take a trip down memory lane. |

| Screw around like when we were kids. |

| I don't know. |

"I think I really need to visit my family again, first of all," Luke responded.

"That's a good idea," Nick conceded. "Bet they're worried sick 'n dyin' to see you."

"Yeah…" While Luke's eyes remained focused on the highway in front of them, his expression seemed distant, as if he wasn't really looking at anything in particular.

Nick could easily pick up on Luke's unease. "You know I can tell that somethin' ain't right…"

 _ **[ Mention father ]**_

[ Don't mention it ]

"It's my daddy, man. He ain't doin' too good right now. I didn't realize... how serious it really was. My sister thinks it might be too late for him now," Luke revealed.

Nick didn't seem surprised, as if he already knew the fact that Luke's father was ill and dying, though his expression was sympathetic. "I'm sorry, man. I dunno what it's like. I mean, I know you 'n your old man didn't get along or agree on everything, but I also know that you two were a lot closer than me and my… father." Nick's voice sounded almost disgusted at having to mention his own father. "I bet it must feel horrible to go through somethin' like this." Nick looked back at Luke, trying to offer support for his friend. He leaned over, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Nick. I just gotta concentrate on the road." Luke tried to shrug it off.

Nick had already noticed how troubled Luke seemed. "Hey, you can talk to me if there's anythin' I can do to make it better. I can take the wheel if you want," he offered.

| I'm worried. |

| I feel guilty. |

 _ **| I'm fine. |**_

| … |

"I'm fine," Luke said, looking straight ahead.

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

"You 'n I both know that's not true, man." Nick knew Luke too well. He'd certainly learned by now that his strategy was to ignore his problems and pretend they didn't exist, keeping his focus on the things they did have and maintaining a positive attitude about things. It had served Luke just fine up to now, and they both had benefitted greatly from Luke's perpetual optimism, but Nick probably worried that it wouldn't work anymore, someday.

"Nick, just lemme focus on the road for now. You don't want me to get into another accident, do you?" Luke insisted.

"All right," Nick sighed, looking down. He wouldn't press it if Luke really didn't want to talk at the moment. Nick turned his attention back to the radio, noticing that Luke had begun whistling softly along to the melody. He glanced back at Luke occasionally to ensure that he was fine, or least that he said he was. At least, he seemed to be dealing with it okay right now.

Nick was likely contemplating the idea that perhaps, Luke could be right. Neither of them had ever really gone through a particularly tragic or emotionally taxing situation. Sure, there were arguments, breakups, drama, and women, but never something as serious as what Luke's father was going through. Maybe Luke really would be capable of coping with it by himself. Nobody could know yet until it happened. Nick was just aware that if it wasn't possible, he would have to force him to open up, of course. Nick would be there for Luke, and he'd do his best to help his friend.

* * *

The ride was rather peaceful afterwards. Luke had merged onto the 75 heading for Tennessee, and maintained his focus. He and Nick had kept themselves occupied with small talk about things: the music, the weather, etcetera. Nothing particularly deep.

They were nearing the Tennessee state border by now, and their tank was almost empty. Nick made note of that.

"Let's stop here. There ain't enough gas t' get us all the way," Luke said. They pulled into a gas station in the outskirts of Chattanooga. Luke exited the car to hook up the nozzle.

"I can't believe how these gas prices just keep gettin' higher. It's gettin' completely ridiculous." Nick chuckled.

"Definitely. $1.75 a gallon sounds pretty excessive when you can still remember how it was maybe $1.20 on a bad day when I first got my license." Luke laughed. "Though my folks'd probably be complainin' that it still wasn't forty cents like it was when they were first drivin'."

"Yeah… I also remember how much it sucked to wait almost three entire years after you 'till I was able to finally get my own license," Nick mentioned.

"I bet that must've been torture," Luke said jokingly.

"It was. It was kinda embarrassin' to fail my driver's test that many times, and always havin' to rely on you t' drive me places." Nick sighed, getting out of the car. "I'm gonna look for somethin' good in there. We got just barely enough to make it through today."

"All right, you do that," Luke replied. He inserted the pump into the waited for the tank to fill up, glancing around aimlessly. When the tank was full, he unscrewed the nozzle and placed it back on its rack. He figured he'd have to use the only money they had left to pay for the gasoline. Luke opened the glove compartment, looking for their stash of emergency cash. He inserted twenty-five dollars into the machine, retrieving his receipt and throwing it into the pile of papers, documents, and magazines scattered on the floor of their car.

He didn't pay much notice to his surroundings, until he felt a weak hand latch onto his leg.

 _ **(Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (E)**_

It didn't take much force to get his assailant to let go of him. He looked more closely at whom they were. Luke noticed that the woman's skin was a sickly, almost greenish pale and her eyes were glazed over by a white film. She made similar noises to the crackhead they'd seen in Atlanta, moaning and growling almost animalistically. Luke took a second to catch his breath again, when the woman looked up and lunged towards his leg, hissing.

 _ **(O) Kick**_

Panicking, Luke stopped her with another strong kick. He hadn't intended to aim directly for her face, disfiguring her nose.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He'd just kicked a woman in the head. It was in self-defense, though, wasn't it? Though even if she attacked him first, it still didn't feel right to hurt a girl. And he doubted the law would see it that way either. Luke wasn't that kind of man, was he?

Nick overheard the commotion and exited the store, carrying a bag of junk food and another bottle in his hand. "Hey, uh, what's goin' on?" He asked.

Luke turned around, and his eyes shot open at the sight of Nick walking towards them. He hoped he didn't see the unconscious body behind him. He was still in too much of a shock to really explain how he'd just been jumped by what seemed to be an insane drug addict.

"...The fuck?!" Nick must have seen the body behind his friend. "What the hell happened?!" He looked back at Luke, confused and frantic. He was hyperventilating and began panicking, dropping the shopping bag onto the ground. "What the fuck did you do, Luke?! We're fuckin' screwed here, man!"

"S-she attacked me, Nick!" Luke tried to explain between hurried breaths. "I didn't- She-"

The woman suddenly came back to her senses and reached for Nick's leg this time, crawling quickly across the asphalt. She began growling and snapping her teeth again wildly, not caring that her face was bruised and that she was scraping her legs across the hard ground. Luke could have sworn she was acting like she had contracted rabies or something.

"What the fuck?!" Nick exclaimed.

[ Stop her ]

 _ **[ Leave her ]**_

"-C'mon, let's just go, Nick!"

Nick didn't say anything. The two jumped into the car, slamming the door as they sped off. Luke thought they might have run her over in their panicking, but he was definitely not going back to check. They'd just nearly been attacked by some psychopath, and he'd just kicked a woman in the face.

* * *

They remained silent for a while, trying to process what had just happened. Luke tried to forget about it, knowing that he had to maintain his focus on the road. He noticed Nick's panicked expression.

"Luke, what the fuck was that?" Nick asked.

"I have no idea, man. I just... I don't know."

"Somethin's not right, Luke. I feel it, man," he worried.

Luke thought about it for a second. "You think she's got somethin' t'do with that girl we saw last night? We were drunk, but you remember her, right?"

"I... I dunno. Maybe? She looked an awful lot like the lady just now, right? With the pasty skin 'n white eyes and shit? And the insane animal noises?" Nick responded.

"I-I don't got any idea what they're about yet or what's goin' on, though. I can't believe I just... did that," Luke replied.

"Let's just get home, man... And pray whatever the fuck that was isn't anything serious," Nick hoped.

"Yeah. It's been too long..." Luke responded, distressed.

"You bet." Nick looked back at Luke, trying to smile.

They drove along the highway through the rest of Chattanooga undisturbed, noticing that people seemed to be going about their lives as usual in the city. Perhaps whatever had just occurred to them was just an isolated incident, and everything would be explained soon. There were more important things to worry about at the moment, anyways, like Luke's father. He just hoped that they could make it home, and that it wasn't too late yet.


	4. Like Old Times

**EPISODE ONE: _Anew Every Morning_**

 _Part 4: Like Old Times_

* * *

After leaving Chattanooga, Luke and Nick passed through an idyllic landscape of vast fields and forests, and the Appalachians off in the distance. Neither of them spoke for a while, Luke still trying to process what had happened earlier with the woman. He didn't want to think about what he'd done to her, and attempted to occupy his thoughts with the worn-down road in front of them and the radio.

Eventually, Nick decided to ask him, "Luke, do you think there's somethin' goin' on?"

| Yes. |

| No. |

 _ **| I don't know. |**_

| … |

"I really don't know what to think right now, Nick. We were attacked by some girl, and I kicked her in the face. Then we took off speedin'," Luke replied.

"I know that, but somethin' ain't right with her and the girl from last night. I mean, whatever that was happened all the way back in Atlanta and then over at that gas station. Whatever it is, we gotta find out soon, man," Nick said.

"I guess you're right. I bet that we'll get things figured out soon," Luke said encouragingly.

Nick suggested, "Maybe we'll find out what's goin' on when we get home."

"I'm thinkin' that we will. If any place's got a bunch of secrets just waitin' to be discovered, you bet it's that old town." Luke chuckled.

"Speak of the devil-"

Luke could make out the old farmhouses and the busy main street just ahead. He noticed the ancient sign to his left. Welcome to Clevesville, Tennessee. A proud little town in the middle of nowhere with all sorts of secrets and skeletons in people's closets.

* * *

Driving down the main avenue, Luke recognized the familiar storefronts and some of the people walking by. Everything was just as he'd remembered it, from the pretty facades and rusted old gates, to the scents of fresh pastries and overgrown lawns, to the sound of the songs from the town's most popular hangout and the noise of people laughing.

He slowed down to appreciate the familiar sights of their hometown. Even the slightest of things brought back the memories. Luke had definitely needed to come home. Even if he'd always dreamed of leaving for the city and to pursue what he'd thought were bigger and better things, here was where his heart was, and always would be.

 _ **(O) Look up**_

"Hey, see that up there, Nick? I'm surprised that our bridge's lasted this long." Luke pointed out the window, up at the gap formed by the alley. He had noticed the makeshift bridge they'd set up a decade and a half ago between the rooftops. Luke smiled, remembering how they, along with some other boys, decided on the bright idea of climbing onto the top of main street and jumping across the buildings for the heck of it. When they'd injured themselves quite a few times and gotten sick of all the effort, they set up a ladder up to the roof, and laid down a plank across the gap to access the short-lived club they formed on top of the abandoned office building.

"It's crazy to think how that's still there after all these years," Nick said. "Though I'll admit I tried goin' back up there once or twice since you left."

"Those were the days, weren't they?" Luke grinned, recalling their childhoods.

"They sure were." Nick looked back at him, smiling.

"It's good to be back."

Nick suggested, "Hey, why don't we stop by the diner for lunch? We still got time to see your folks afterwards."

 _ **| Sure thing. |**_

| I don't have much time. |

"Sure thing... I'd be dyin' for one of those floats about now," Luke mentioned.

"Course you would." Nick chuckled.

* * *

Luke pulled into the familiar joint and got out of the car, reaching for the little change they had left in the glove compartment. It was just barely enough to cover lunch. He spent some time just looking at the old 50's style boxcar diner, reminiscing on all the things that had happened there.

"Hey, c'mon, man. I'm starvin' here." Nick dragged him into the restaurant, and let him down at their old booth. Luke recognized it by the stain on the seat against the wall and small etching on the corner of the table, where somebody had jokingly carved their names together.

 _ **(O) Look at etching**_

The table had a small marking in the corner where someone had engraved Luke + Nick 4 Ever. Luke mentioned, "I don't know who might've written that. Probably one of the people who'd tease us, and especially Nick, about how close we are. Or maybe it was Nick. I dunno."

 _ **(O) Look at jukebox**_

The diner had a vintage jukebox, dating back from the 50's. The playlist hadn't been updated since the late 60's, but nobody minded. The classic hits fit in perfectly with the overall atmosphere of the mid-century-inspired diner.

"It's almost like goin' back in time here. Not just 'cause of the decor and everything, but I'm rememberin' all the stuff that went down here, at our booth," Luke said, smiling at Nick.

"Right, like how you went on and on about your plan to take over Atlanta right before you packed up 'n left and dragged me with you... You weren't even drunk then." Nick laughed.

"I still remember flippin' that coin. Heads for Atlanta, tails for Nashville." Luke grinned, recalling that fateful decision.

"I kinda wish we ended up in Nashville instead, honestly," Nick admitted. "At least it would've been closer to home."

"Well, it doesn't matter much right now, does it? 'Cause now we're right back where it all started. Ain't it funny how things work like that? How no matter what we do, we can't ever seem to stray too far from home." Luke laughed.

Nick responded, "I guess so... Hey, Carol's comin' over."

The waitress had noticed the two sitting in their familiar corner and walked over, bringing them their menus. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Porter... and Mr. Porter," she joked.

Nick rolled his eyes and pouted. "We ain't - never mind," he grumbled.

At least she hadn't suggested that they were both Mr. Bremer. Luke knew just how much Nick hated his surname; it was the only thing his father ever gave him. Unfortunately, Nick had never got around to officially changing his name back to Randall, like his mother.

"I'm just teasin' you two. That ain't legal in the states yet." Carol laughed, then looked back at Luke. "Anyways, haven't seen you 'round these parts in a month of Sundays, have we, Luke? Figured you'd never look back after y'all left for the big city. Nick here couldn't stay away for long, but I guess you did come back to visit us all in the end... You paid your old man a visit yet, dear?" Carol asked.

 _ **| I will. |**_

| I haven't had the chance yet... |

| No. |

| … |

"I was just about to, Carol," Luke said. "I was just dreamin' about havin' one of this place's floats again before we got back home."

"It'll be the usual for you two?" she asked.

"You bet." Luke was grinning like a kid again in anticipation. Carol left for the kitchen, remembering just how Luke and Nick had liked their hamburgers. She returned with two plates of juicy burgers and crispy fries, along with a tall, vanilla root beer float for Luke, and a chocolate milkshake for Nick.

"Think it was worth comin' back now, Luke?" Nick asked, smiling.

"Definitely." The sight of food definitely worked up Luke's appetite, as he felt his mouth watering.

They didn't talk much afterwards, just savoring the delicious food. This certainly made the trip worth it, even if they were officially out of money now.

Luke supposed Nick's uncle, Pete, or his mother, Sharon, might lend them something, at least enough for the gas to get back to Atlanta and find work again after their failed business. He didn't let finances concern him for now, though. He just wanted to see his family again, spend time with his best friend, and reminisce on some of the best memories of their youth.

Nick spoke, "Hey, do you think we can make one more detour before we get to your place? I had this idea..."

 _ **| All right. |**_

| There isn't time. |

"All right, Nick. Let's just make sure we don't take too long. You know my folks're waitin' for me," Luke replied.

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

"Don't worry; I don't think we'll take long." Nick smiled back at Luke.

"Yeah, yeah. Just get us to wherever the hell you're takin' us already."

* * *

Nick stopped the car along the side of the back road that ran parallel to the main street. He parked next to the old, flimsy ladder that they had left there, fifteen years ago. Luke wondered why Nick had brought him back to the place he'd pointed out earlier. He already knew what it was like, even if he hadn't been there in a decade. Luke didn't think it could have changed much from their childhood. Their group had been the only ones who knew about the secret club on top of the abandoned structure.

Luke grabbed his sketchbook from its place on the dashboard and rummaged through the mess, looking for a sharp pencil. Nick had already climbed the ladder by then.

"C'mon, Luke!" Nick shouted from above.

"All right, jus' be patient, man. I'm comin'. I was just gettin' out my sketchbook…"

Nick asked, "What for?"

"You know I don't leave without it when I feel like there might be somethin' worth drawin'," Luke said, grinning.

Luke began climbing the rungs slowly, holding the sketchbook in his left hand. He felt the old ladder snap under his weight as he neared the top. Both of their eyes shot open as the ladder began to lean to the right, about to bring Luke down with it.

 _ **/!\ Grab Nick's hand!**_

Luke reached out, flailing his right arm until he grasped Nick's hand, dangling from his arm. He threw the sketchbook up onto the roof and grabbed Nick's other hand, and let Nick pull him up onto the roof, struggling with his weight. Luke took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.

"Figure I've gained a bit of weight since we were kids, huh?" Luke chuckled.

"Yeah, lay off on the takeout, fatass," Nick teased him. He began walking in the opposite direction of the bridge towards their old hangout spot.

Luke noticed, and wondered where Nick could possibly be going. "Hey, just where are we goin'? The bridge's right there..." Luke said.

"I know… But maybe we could try goin' someplace different?" Nick suggested. "And you'd probably destroy the bridge too, seein' how the ladder couldn't take it anymore," he added, laughing.

"Yeah, right. If you say so."

They reached a gap over the alley between two buildings. Nick turned back to Luke. "You still remember how to do this?"

"Of course I remember." Luke smiled, recalling how stupid they'd been, and how much fun they'd had. "Back up, run, and then jump across. Just like when we were kids."

"Do you, uh... wanna try it again?" Nick asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just… I know it's stupid, but when you pointed it out earlier, I kind of felt like I wanted to relive those memories again," he confessed, his face reddening. "I know it's a bad time, but…"

* * *

 _ **[ OF COURSE ]**_

[ MAYBE NOT ]

* * *

"Sure… why not?" Luke said enthusiastically.

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

"Wait, really?" Nick's face lit up.

"Yeah, really. We don't have to take long." Luke threw his sketchbook and pencil across the gap and walked back to the opposite side of the building.

"All right… You first, like always." Nick laughed.

 _ **(Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (E)**_

Luke did his best to sprint across the rooftop and leaped over the divide. Nick followed, before leading Luke towards the next building. While neither of them were anywhere near as agile as they had been, they managed to make it across. They both took a moment to catch their breaths again.

"That was… just as fun as I remembered it." Nick beamed, clearly happy to screw around as if they were grade schoolers again.

Luke placed a hand on Nick's shoulder, smiling. "Definitely."

"We can go now, unless you're fixin' to keep goin'." Nick took Luke's hand.

"No… it's fine," Luke reassured. "If we're here, we might as well make the most of it."

Luke noticed a stack of crates that somebody left along the wall, allowing for access to the next rooftop. "Hey… Think there might be somethin' up there?" Luke asked. "We could climb up these crates here and see where it leads us."

"Sure."

They climbed up onto the town's main hospital, which was adjacent to the church. Nick began climbing up another set of ladders, towards the top of the bell tower. Luke followed suit, and was amazed by the sight in front of them.

Looking out from the balcony, he could make out the entirety of their hometown. He noticed the town's beautiful city hall and their old high school. The diner, their favorite movie theater, and even his family's old farmhouse were visible off in the distance. The town was crisp and bright in the mid-afternoon air, and the bright July sun gave a brilliant yellow glow to the landscape beyond. Gazing even farther, he saw the vivid fields giving way to the forested mountains.

"Wow." That was all either of them could say for a moment.

Luke sighed. "I can't believe I never appreciated our town as much as I should have before."

"Don't worry. It ain't goin' anywhere. You know that things don't ever change here."

"I sure hope they never do change." Luke put his hand on Nick's shoulder, pulling him closer. "And that we don't ever let things change us."

"You'd always go on and tell me that you'd be there for me, Luke. Well, I'll always be here for you too," Nick assured.

Luke turned around and looked his friend in the eyes. "You're my best friend, right? Nothin' could ever come between us."

"I know. Welcome home, Luke."

* * *

 _Telltale Games presents…  
_

 _The Walking Dead: Just Keep Smilin'_


	5. I'd Come Back for You

**EPISODE ONE: _Anew Every Morning_**

 _Part 5: I'd Come Back for You_

* * *

"All right, that's enough. We really oughta get to your place now, Luke."

They had been gazing off into the distance for what was probably several minutes now, appreciating the scenery and the company of each other. A part of Luke didn't want to leave for home right then. They had just got here, hadn't they? If anything, he would at least want something to remember this moment by.

Luke truly appreciated Nick bringing him up here. Aside from the view of his hometown, he had gotten them to explore and jump across the rooftops just as if they were children again. Luke couldn't remember anymore why he'd been so anxious to leave for the city as soon as they came home from college. He supposed that, perhaps, he just hadn't realized what he was missing out on until being away from home for two entire years.

| Let's go. |

 _ **| Just a bit longer... |**_

"Just wait a bit, man. I want a lil' somethin' so that I don't forget this. I ain't got the chance to appreciate a view this nice with my best friend in a long while," Luke said.

"I always figured my memory was enough, even if it ain't the best. Sometimes, I think that takin' a picture in your mind is better than takin' a picture with a camera or whatever it is you want," Nick responded.

 _ **(O) Sketch**_

(X) Back out

"Maybe that's true, but I still wanna capture this moment. You never know what's gonna happen. I mean, I might just forget everythin' one day when we're old and this'll be the only thing I have to remember this time by."

Luke reached for his sketchbook, which he had left on the ground next to them. He retrieved his pencil from his pocket and sat down, leaning against the spire. Nick seated himself too, observing Luke's work.

Nick watched as Luke quickly began a rough sketch of what they saw, glancing up at the scene occasionally for reference. "All right, mister Monet. Go ahead... capture the 'moment' or whatever," he teased.

"So, you've been payin' at least a bit of attention to my lectures. I'm surprised you could even say his name right," Luke chuckled. He continued, rushing through his initial outline as his large hand moved all over the sheet of paper. Luke could afford to shade and complete the detail work later, as the image was still clear in his mind.

"Not really. You just wouldn't ever shut up about... what the hell're they called? Impressionists?" Nick justified.

"See? You do give a damn." Luke laughed.

"Whatever. Like you'll ever make an... impression." Nick folded his arms and smiled smugly, thinking that was amazingly witty.

Luke smirked. "Funny you say that, 'cause that's what some of those art critics used to say about him and his friends, after he decided to name his famous seascape paintin' Impression, Sunrise, thinkin' it was funny or somethin'." He looked back at Nick expectantly.

"Don't go on about your dead old painters again." Nick rolled his eyes, uninterested.

Luke smiled, amused. "Fine, I won't bore you."

Nick waited for Luke to finish his basic sketches, to be completed later. The faint rectangles and ovals and triangles slowly took more complex forms, and Nick could begin to recognize the view being replicated onto the paper. He saw Luke begin to sketch two figures in the foreground. Obviously, the two of them gazing off into the distance. After a while, Luke folded his sketchbook and got up, deciding he had made sufficient progress to finish the details at home.

"All right, I'm done for now," Luke announced.

Nick looked up, grabbing Luke's hand for support as he stood up. "Took you long enough. Let's get to your place already," he said. Nick found the way to the stairs, allowing them to descend the bell tower easily.

"Hey, why didn't we just come up this way?" Luke asked. "It's a helluva lot easier than jumpin' across the roofs"

"I dunno." Nick blushed. "I guess I just thought it'd be nice to screw around like we used to."

Luke looked back at his friend, smiling. "It's fine, 'cause I appreciate it... it was just what I needed. It really felt just like when we were kids again, didn't it?"

"It sure did. C'mon, I bet your folks're waitin'." They walked back to the car and got in. Nick took the wheel, knowing exactly the way to Luke's home.

* * *

Nick drove past more stores and homes for a while, until they reached the open expanses of fields and farmhouses along the outskirts of the town. He continued steering with one hand as he spoke to Luke. Eventually, he stopped in front of the Porter family's old home.

It looked just as Luke remembered it. The familiar white facade was just as bright as ever, and Luke recalled how excited his parents had been to upgrade from whitewash to actual paint. His mother's wind chimes were dangling from the front porch, singing in the air. Luke noticed the old welcome mat before the front door and the small potted plants on the windowsill. It didn't seem like everybody was home, though. His mother's car was absent. His father's was still there, parked in front of the farmhouse, though.

Nick asked, "So, what's the plan here? I wait in the car or maybe get back to my place while y'all catch up?"

| I need to see them alone. |

| Can you come with me? |

 _ **| I don't know. |**_

| … |

"Honestly, I don't know. I mean, what do I even say?" Luke asked. "I'm sorry for bein' an asshole and not comin' to visit for the past two years?"

"Well, it's true. I mean, you gotta at least say sorry for that shit," Nick chuckled, but he was serious.

"I know. It's jus' that I don't wanna make it any worse than it already is. I mean, you know what the situation's like right now, Nick." Luke looked down, feeling guilty for everything. He knew he had to come back for them, though.

"Look, just go in there and talk with 'em. I'll wait out here if you need me, all right?" Nick offered his friend a smile, hoping to encourage him.

"I got this; don't worry 'bout me, Nick."

* * *

Luke took a deep breath, before exiting the car and walking up to the porch. He hesitated before knocking gently on the door. Luke waited for a while, until he heard somebody fumble with the lock, opening the door.

"Luke?" He couldn't believe his eyes when he realized that the girl standing there was actually his younger sister. Caitlin had changed so much in two years. The last time they had seen each other in person, she had just been a little girl, but she was beginning to look even more like a young woman nowadays. It had been her fourteenth birthday last month. At least Luke had remembered to give her a call to wish her a happy birthday then.

Caitlin must have grown about half a foot, and she had let her straight brown hair reach down to her chest. But her face was still as gentle and sweet as he had remembered.

Her dark eyes lit up and she smiled, realizing that it really was her older brother who'd finally come home.

 _ **(O) Hug Caitlin**_

Luke, unsure of what to say initially, wrapped his arms around his sister in a long hug.

Eventually, she pulled away. Caitlin still managed a smile, but the pain in her eyes was evident. Her voice had always been soft and fragile. "You came back."

 _ **| I'm sorry. |**_

| Of course I did. |

"Cait... I'm sorry. It wasn't right of me to pack up and leave just like that. But I'm here now," Luke reassured. But he didn't know how he could ever make it up to her and their parents, or if that was even possible anymore at this point.

 _ **(?) Caitlin will remember that.**_

"Thanks... for coming back. Daddy's at the hospital with mom. He didn't want to go, but she made him." Caitlin laughed lightly at that mention, before inviting Luke inside. They sat down in the familiar living room.

 _ **| How is he? |**_

| Can we visit him now? |

| Why aren't you there? |

| … |

"So, how is he? I got your voicemail 'n messages this mornin'. It, uh, sounded pretty serious," Luke said solemnly. He hoped that, perhaps, it might not be as bad as she had made it seem on the phone. When he first heard of the diagnosis, Luke had been confident that their father would recover, given how much of a hardass he could be. Though, the mention of the hospital didn't give him much hope.

Caitlin explained, "Well... he's not any better now. His fever is even worse, and he's having a lot of trouble when he tries to move. I don't think he's gotten out of the bed since mama forced him to go to the hospital. I overheard the doctor, and..." She trailed off.

"And...?"

"They mentioned that it looked like it had developed into metastasis." She sighed, "Luke, I guess it's his time now, even if he doesn't want to admit it."

"I know. I'm sorry, Cait," he replied.

"Don't be sorry now, Luke. What's done is done, I guess. If you're wondering why I'm not there right now, it's that I have some things to take care of at home. We'll go back to the hospital to see him after I finish a few chores." Caitlin glanced out the front window and noticed the car waiting outside. "You should invite Nick inside too while I get everything ready." She smiled sadly, before walking to the kitchen.

Luke looked out the window, and gave Nick the signal to come in as he waited for Caitlin to complete whatever it was she was up to.

"Everythin' all right? Your folks ain't home or somethin'?" Nick asked.

"It's just my sister. I guess we'll head over to the hospital soon." Luke tried to shrug it off.

"Uh, why don't we head upstairs? Bet you're dyin' to see your old room again," Nick suggested. He thought that perhaps it would cheer Luke up to spend time in his bedroom, like when they were young.

Nick grabbed Luke's arm, dragging him up the staircase and to the familiar door. He let Luke down on his old bed, with its simple russet bedsheets. He immediately began looking for a CD to insert into Luke's radio, rummaging through his friend's drawers.

Nick smirked. "Damn. You don't got anythin'. Figures." Luke smiled, amused by Nick's antics. "We'll have to hang at my place sometime if we're gonna rock out like we used to, though Pete 'n mom are just as much of hardasses as when you left." Nick laughed, laying down on the bed next to Luke.

 _ **| How are they? |**_

| We'll have to go see them soon too. |

Luke asked, "So how's your family doin' right now, Nick?"

"Like I said, they're just as fuckin' annoying as ever. But I guess they gotta be over you bankruptin' us with your idea already, given how much they like you." Nick almost sounded jealous. "I guess you'll have t' catch up with them soon enough. Pete's officially gone bald now, by the way," he chuckled.

"Really? I mean, I gotta see this for myself." Luke grinned, thinking about how strange Pete must look if all his hair had really fallen out by now.

Luke had always liked Nick's uncle, though he understood that his relationship with Nick had always been rather strained due to Pete's strictness and stern treatment of his nephew. He hoped that Nick comprehended Pete's reasoning. Given the general absence of his biological father, Pete had assumed the role of Nick's father figure, helping his mother, Pete's sister, raise him. He thought that it was best to keep Nick in line and teach him about the harshness of the world early on, causing Nick to resent him at times.

And then there was Sharon, Nick's mother. She clearly didn't appreciate Nick's occasional irresponsibility and would always agree with her brother when they got into their arguments. At times, Luke had seen her act harsher with Nick than Pete himself would.

Caitlin slowly opened the bedroom door. "Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt you two."

"Huh?" Nick's face reddened at her comment.

"Oh, we were just talkin' 'bout stuff, Cait. C'mon, we better get goin'." Luke gestured to Nick, who followed them out the door.

"I'm ready now. He must be waiting for us." Caitlin had redressed herself in the clothes she had probably worn that morning at service. Her school's summer uniform consisted of a white blouse with a knee-length navy skirt. She wore long, dark tights underneath.

"Of course," Luke responded somberly.

They descended the staircase and exited the home. The sun's position indicated that it was late in the afternoon by now.

"Hey, I'll let you two spend time with him alone when we get there. Figure I ain't gonna be of much use there, and I wanna give y'all a chance to catch up," Nick said, walking towards the car.

"I guess that's fine. You oughta go check on your folks now. She knows the directions, though, so I suppose I'm drivin' first." Luke got into the driver's seat.

"Nick, do you mind if I sit in the front?" Caitlin asked. "I want to talk more with Luke, if that's okay with you."

"Uh, go ahead, I guess." Nick blushed. He hadn't really gotten to know Luke's sister now that she was a teenager, so it was sufficiently awkward for him to interact with her. Though it had been a long time since Luke and his sister had seen each other, they had at least kept up via occasional phone calls, so it wasn't terribly weird for them to talk with each other now.

Luke started the engine and began driving towards the town center, both anxious and terrified to see his parents again. Thankfully, his reunion with his sister hadn't been as bad as he had anticipated, but he knew that his parents would surely have a lot to say to him.


	6. Promise

**EPISODE ONE: _Anew Every Morning_**

 _Part 6: Promise_

* * *

Luke tried to ignore the fact that his father was dying, at least for now. He could deal with that when the time came, and he had always thought that it was best to focus on the good, happier memories during times like these. Surely his father wouldn't have wanted him moping around, feeling guilty and sorry for himself. Luke decided to occupy his thoughts with the radio and talking with his sister and Nick instead.

"So, what do you wanna listen to, Cat?" he asked, turning the knob.

"I don't know. Anything is okay, I guess. Maybe we should listen to the news instead... I heard on the TV right before you got here that there were people being attacked by other people or something in the city," she mentioned. "Is that true?"

"What did the report say?" Luke asked. "'Cause we didn't hear nothin' about people gettin' hurt this mornin'."

"They said that there were a few people actin' really violent and even trying to bite people. I saw the video they took, and one of them looked like he was really really sick," Caitlin said. Luke and Nick's eyes shot open in realization.

"Are you okay, Luke? If something's wrong, you can tell me..." Caitlin noticed his troubled expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Maybe just a lil' worried..." Luke responded, replacing his distressed frown with a convincing smile.

 _ **(O) Turn on radio**_

Luke connected to the regional news station, waiting for the signal to clear up and trying to change the subject. "Let's listen to the news; maybe there's more on whatever the hell's goin' on."

"...after court proceedings, UGA history professor Lee Everett was found guilty for the murder of Georgia state senator Robert Whitman and domestic assault after apparently attacking Whitman and his wife upon finding the two engaged in an illicit affair. Regarding the attacks reported in several major cities throughout the South, authorities are advising citizens to remain calm as investigation is underway. The reason behind the immense levels of aggression in the assailants is, as of yet, still unknown, but they have gone as far as to engage in cannibalistic acts towards their victims..."

The report continued on, detailing specific encounters and interviews with witnesses. Nick shook his head, frowning. "Somethin's wrong, I know it," he began worrying.

| You're right. |

 _ **| Don't worry so much. |**_

"Don't get all worried now, Nick. It'll probably be all figured out by tomorrow. Even if it ain't better soon, at least we got the hell outta Atlanta in time while whatever's goin' on clears up." Luke chuckled.

"Yeah, it'll be okay, Nick," Caitlin agreed, offering him a smile. If there was something Luke liked the absolute best about his sister, it was that she had always been willing to keep a positive outlook on things, much like he did. He supposed that sometimes, optimism was all you had.

"I don't know. I mean, that just sounds too... messed up to be just somethin' you can fix right away. You heard what it said, right? People eatin' people?" Nick argued.

Luke chuckled at Nick's hesitation from profanity. At least Caitlin appreciated that. "Well, even if we got ourselves into a hairy situation, we'll just make the best of it. Like we always do," he reassured. Nick didn't seem too convinced.

"We're safe now that you two are back, I think." Caitlin smiled, happy to have her brother again. "I mean, the report said that there were only people being hurt in the big cities like Atlanta and Charlotte."

"Yeah... See, Nick? We're gonna be fine," Luke insisted. "Stop gettin' so concerned about things."

"Okay, fine." Nick sighed. "I guess I'll head home for now... Call me when y'all need a ride back." Nick took the wheel, driving off.

* * *

Luke and Caitlin entered the small hospital, checking in with the receptionist who welcomed him back to the town albeit somberly, understanding his reason for visiting. Luke felt even more guilty walking past the rooms of the few other patients, noticing that most of them at least had somebody there by their side. He hadn't been there for his family in far too long. Luke approached the door to his father's room, preparing to knock, but stopped.

Caitlin caught onto his hesitation. "It's okay. At least you're here now. That's better than nothing, isn't it?"

"I know, it's just that I don't know what I'm goin' to say right now," Luke admitted.

"If you need us to, we can stay inside the room with you, but I think maybe it's better if we give you privacy with him. He said he wanted to talk to you about some important things," she explained.

"Yeah… don't worry; I'm fine," he reiterated. Luke took a breath and knocked on the door, waiting for a response.

He was greeted by his mother, Linda, who immediately pulled him into a tight hug, happy to see that her son had come back for them after all.

Unlike Caitlin, Luke's mother looked just as he had remembered, with her short stature and amiable disposition. However, Luke noticed her pained expression and reddened eyes, aware of how difficult the situation was for her right now.

 _ **| I'm sorry. |**_

| How are you doing? |

| Is dad okay? |

| … |

"I'm sorry," Luke apologized, holding his mother in his arms.

"It's okay, Luke. Don't apologize for anything. You're here now... and that's what matters," Linda reassured between what were simultaneously tears of joy for seeing Luke again and tears of sadness for the failing condition of her husband.

Luke's father, John, awoke to the sound of their conversation. He barely looked up at them with his gray eyes, and the moonlight streaming through the window revealed that his skin had turned a wan and ashen grayish color, a testament to his weakening health. If it weren't for him being on his deathbed, the great resemblance between him and his son would have been more evident.

Luke was actually the splitting image of his father in his youth, save for the friendly brown eyes he and Caitlin had both inherited from Linda. He could almost see an older, short-haired version of himself in his father, despite their dissimilar personalities. John began to cough, hacking violently until he managed to catch his breath again. Luke signaled to his mother and sister that it was okay to leave, before taking a seat next to the bed.

* * *

"So... ya came back," John remarked, almost laughing if it weren't for his convulsions. His voice was hoarse and fragile, followed by more pained coughs.

| I did. |

 _ **| I'm sorry. |**_

| What's so funny? |

| … |

"I'm sor-"

John interrupted, "Son, just... cut me the bullshit. I know ya only came because your sister called tellin' you 'bout me. And you didn't even have the decency to give her a call back tellin' her you got it." Even on his deathbed, Luke's father could be a hardass. He had never taken any bullshit from Luke or anybody else before, and it didn't seem like that fact had changed in his final hours.

Luke felt even more guilty, knowing that what his father said was entirely accurate. If it weren't for Caitlin's voicemail notifying him about how grave his father's condition had gotten, he probably wouldn't have come home anytime soon. The fact that the room was bleak and dreary didn't help his attitude, nor the fact that John had hung some old photos of them on the walls, when they had gotten along far better. Luke noticed pictures of him as a child playing and smiling with John.

Luke hung his head in shame, unsure of how to respond to that.

"Nothin' t' say for yourself? It don't matter; that ain't what... I wanted to talk about," John wheezed.

"So, uh... what did you want to talk about?" Luke asked timidly. He could feel his father's disapproval at how hesitant and unsure he became around him. Their relationship had always been a bit strained, and Luke found his father almost intimidating at the moment. There was something about the fact that John was still as harsh and stern as ever with him despite being so close to death that made Luke uneasy. Luke had hoped that perhaps their reunion wouldn't have been so somber.

John sighed. "I ain't gonna beat around the bush, Luke... I know it's my time, even if your mother... don't wanna admit it," he said, hacking.

 _ **(O) Give water**_

Luke noticed the glass of water on the nightstand and offered it to his father, who slowly reached out for it and took a sip. He knew by now that John would protest if he tried to help him with anything.

His voice wasn't as dry and raspy anymore. "And that's where you come in... You're the man of the family now, son. It's gotta be your responsibility from now on t' keep your mother 'n sister safe an' sound, since I ain't gonna be here anymore for 'em." John's solemn gray eyes looked up at his son, pleading. "Son, can you... promise me that you'll watch out for 'em?"

 _ **| I promise. |**_

| I don't know if I can. |

"I promise," Luke responded, trying his best to keep his voice confident despite his uncertainties regarding whether or not he was ready.

 _ **(?) John will remember that.**_

"Thanks, son." That might have been the first time Luke had ever seen his father genuinely smile in years.

Even though Luke was doubtful that he would ever be half of the man John had been, he understood that regardless of his apprehensions, it was his duty from now on to be there for his family. And he intended to do the best job he could at taking his father's place.

"I'll try my best," he reassured.

"I know. I'll be honest with ya... it ain't easy. It never was, and it ain't ever gonna be. But it's our obligation as men. T' keep the people we love safe 'n happy," he elaborated. "It ain't just your mother 'n sister, but all the people you care 'bout. Hell, even another guy like Nick, though that kid really oughta learn to take care of himself by now. Didn't Pete teach him good enough?" He chuckled.

Luke laughed. "I dunno... You'd think he'd learn somethin' by now the way Uncle Pete acts with him."

"Right," John agreed. "Anyways, that's all for now. You don' have t' watch me sleepin' here. You 'n your sister better get some rest, figurin' your mother's gonna wanna stay here tonight again. Maybe you oughta pay Pete 'n Sharon a visit with your sister," he suggested.

"Yeah... g'night, dad." John rolled over, closing his eyes again. Although Luke knew that the condition was terminal, his father almost looked a decade younger all of a sudden, as if his son's visit was all that he needed to rest peacefully.

* * *

Luke slowly closed the door behind him, where he found Linda and Caitlin waiting for him. "Is everythin' okay, Luke?" his mother asked.

 _ **| Yes. |**_

| No. |

"Yeah... he's still the same as always. He said we better get some rest after today," Luke said.

"All... all right. You and your sister should head back. I'm fine here, Luke," Linda insisted. Luke knew that she was determined to remain by her husband's side until the end, so he didn't ask her to leave the hospital for the night.

"Yeah… G'night, mom." Luke gave Linda another hug, before Caitlin led him outside.

Luke sent Nick a quick call, asking him to drive by and pick them up. Once they were outside the hospital, Caitlin asked Luke, "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

 _ **| It was fine. |**_

| It could have gone better. |

"Naw, it wasn't." Luke's expression reverted to its usual smiling state.

"I told you there wasn't anything to worry about. All he really wanted was to see you again," Caitlin explained. "And you did that today. Thank you, Luke."

"I know, I just wish I'd gotten some sense sooner and come earlier than, well, now. A lot changes in two years, don't it?" He sighed.

"I don't know... I don't think much changes here. I bet it does in Atlanta, though."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Just about every day, Nick 'n I were on some new adventure or somethin'... There was always somethin' new around every corner there. Though, I'd thought that there wasn't anythin' new back home, but we managed to find somethin' new earlier today." Luke's mouth curled into a grin, as he remembered how Nick had asked him to relive their childhood memories of jumping rooftops and fooling around earlier that day.

Caitlin smiled gently. "You two are really close, aren't you? I don't really remember what it was like between you two before when I was younger and both of you were still here."

"I guess you could say bein' in Atlanta made us even tighter than ever. We were the only ones each other had for a good while there," Luke explained. "And I really appreciate him lightenin' the mood for me with everythin' that's goin' on."

"I wish I had a friend that I was as close with as you and Nick are," she lamented.

 _ **| Just be yourself. |**_

| You'll find a good friend someday. |

"Hey, it ain't hard to meet people. All you gotta do is get yourself out there 'n not care about what people think if you act the way you want to. The ones that stay are the people you wanna keep as your friends, 'cause you know they got your back," he supposed.

 _ **(?) Caitlin will remember that.**_

"I guess you're right; it's still kind of difficult, though... Anyways, it looks like Nick's here." She pointed at Nick's car approaching the hospital. Nick waved to them, smiling and grateful that Luke seemed to be fine. Perhaps he didn't have to worry so much about his friend and the current situation.

"Cait, mind if I sit shotgun this time?" Luke chuckled.

She complied, "Okay..."

* * *

Luke got into the front passenger seat. He laughed to himself, noticing that the top of Nick's magazine was still poking out from beneath some papers on the car floor. At least Caitlin hadn't noticed that earlier. She would have probably thrown a fit or something.

"So... are y'all okay?" Nick asked, noticing that they appeared rather happy, despite the circumstances with Luke's father dying and the mystery of whatever was happening in the cities.

 _ **| We're fine. |**_

| Yeah, but my old man isn't. |

| No. |

| … |

"Yeah, we're fine. Mind if we crash at your place tonight?" Luke grinned, hoping to spend more time with his friend and catch up with Pete and his mother. They could hang out in Nick's old room like they used to tonight.

"Uh, are you all right with that, Caitlin?" Nick wondered. She knew his uncle and mother well, but he probably thought that she might just need some time alone or with Luke.

"I think that would be nice. Luke and I would love to visit again," she responded. Luke found it funny seeing Caitlin act so polite with Nick. Of course, any respectable Southerner knew to mind their manners around others, but Luke and Nick had been close for so long that they could talk about literally anything and be as uncouth as they wanted when it had been just the two of them.

"All right then, Pete 'n mom are gonna be real excited to see y'all again." Nick smiled, excited to have everybody together again. He must have felt reassured now that everything would be fine; as long as they were all together, they'd make it.


	7. A New Day

**EPISODE ONE: _Anew Every Morning_**

 _Part 7: A New Day_

* * *

After what was a rather short drive, Nick parked their car in front of his familiar home. Nick's house was far closer to the town center than the Porters' farm. In the moonlight, it was hard to distinguish the house's coloring, but it seemed that Pete and Nick must have finished layering the home with a fresh coat of blue paint to replace the faded white underneath. Luke noted the absence of Pete's jeep. He would probably be there tomorrow, though. While Pete had a small home to himself, he spent the majority of his time either up in the mountains off hunting or fishing, or at Sharon's home, helping her raise his nephew.

"Mom's probably asleep already; y'all can sleep over and say 'hi' tomorrow or somethin'... You know that she hates bein' woken up," Nick mentioned, chuckling. Though, it was definitely true that Sharon could be in a terrible mood at times. Pete would joke that Nick had inherited his mother's irritability when the two of them acted up.

"Are you sure that she won't mind? I don't wanna be rude..." Caitlin worried, blinking her eyes to stave off her tiredness.

"Don't worry, Cait. She ain't gonna mind if we stay the night at their place." Luke grinned.

Nick smiled, amused by Caitlin's timidity and politeness. "If anythin', she'll be excited to see you two again in the mornin'. Y'all are like the kids she wishes she had; she can't be mad at you or Luke... She already knows both of you are back, and she'll understand if y'all crash for the night without tellin' her," he yawned.

He led the two of them into his old house, which looked about the same as the last time they had been there. Caitlin lumbered toward the guest room where she usually slept, clearly exhausted. In his tired state, Luke didn't even realize that he had followed Nick into his upstairs bedroom.

 _ **(O) Undress**_

Luke slipped off his shoes, kicking them to the side. He undid the zipper of his jeans, sliding them off and collapsing onto the center of Nick's bed. He kept his shirt, socks, and undergarments on, of course.

"Move over... I'm fuckin' tired too." Nick laid down, pushing Luke over to his side of the bed. He didn't complain that they were sleeping in the same bed again, though. As long as most of their clothes were still on, there apparently wasn't anything weird about it.

"Sorry... it's jus' been one of those days, y'know?" Luke smiled lazily, looking over at an unresponsive Nick before closing his eyes and succumbing to sleep.

* * *

Luke awoke to the soft dawn streaming through Nick's bedroom window. He felt Nick's arm wrapped around him as usual. He didn't know why Nick always seemed to be on top of him by the time they woke up whenever they slept next to each other, but Luke didn't really mind as long as he wasn't suffocated by his friend.

He managed to free himself from Nick's grip without waking the other man, slowly rolling out of bed.

Luke didn't bother to redress himself, instead opting to look around Nick's room, although it was evident he hadn't done much redecorating since he last visited.

The same band posters hung on the walls and the general messiness of his room was consistent, with papers, clutter, and random knick-knacks strewn about the damaged wooden floor. Despite the abysmal state of Nick's room, Luke didn't actually mind it. For some reason, he felt more at home in the untidy bedroom. Looking around, he could recall various memories he'd shared with his best friend, prompted by all of the things that Nick had kept to remind himself of their past.

Luke remembered how Sharon and Pete had both given up on maintaining Nick's room long ago, delegating its cleanliness to Nick in frustration. Neither of them had probably even dared to enter more than a footstep into his bedroom in years, in fear of what they might find among Nick's things. Of course, Luke had a pretty good idea of what Nick kept hidden in his room, though he thought that there was probably a lot underneath the clutter that he had yet to find.

 _ **(O) Look at posters**_

Nick had decorated his room with a variety of band memorabilia, and the posters hung across his walls included those from wildly popular bands that the radios would have overplayed to death at some point, though he also had some more obscure groups represented which Luke had never heard of.

Luke mentioned, "I could never remember the names of his favorite bands or songs, but I appreciate Nick's taste in music. Nick always seems to find something that appeals to both of us. I remember hanging up that Three Doors Down poster just before we left for Atlanta. He seems to like lesser-known stuff, but he's open to just about anything. Well, except for rap and hip-hop, I guess."

It was rather embarrassing that Nick had probably retained more about drawing, painting, and art history from Luke's over-enthusiastic lectures than Luke knew about music theory and which bands to listen to. It seemed that music was to Nick as art was to Luke. Luke supposed that perhaps he should spend more time learning about all those bands which Nick liked, given that music was probably his only real passion aside from alcohol.

 _ **(O) Look at desk**_

Luke sat down at Nick's desk, noticing the randomly etched marks in the pale wood. Clearly Nick had too much time on his hands, or had been avoiding his responsibilities, or both.

"It's still as messy as I remembered it… Typical Nick." Luke chuckled to himself.

Old papers and magazines were spread across his desk, and Luke noticed that the trash can next to him was still overflowing with crumpled-up papers and wrappers. Of course, it was already evident that Nick hadn't taken out the trash in years.

 _ **(O) Look at cigarettes**_

There were still a few cigarettes leftover in the trash and Nick's makeshift ashtray. Luke sighed, recalling Nick's experimentation with nicotine.

He thought, "I'm just thankful he came to the conclusion that smokin didn't 'do' it for him and that Pete was stupid for wastin' so much money on cigarettes. I mean, we were too poor to afford both cigarettes and alcohol at the same time, anyways. But his room still has that scent of cigarette smoke after all these years. It was worse in our dorm room, though. At least once Pete realized that Nick had tried smokin', he felt real obligated to quit, though I'm pretty sure that Pete still has the occasional pack every now and then…"

 _ **(O) Open desk drawer**_

Luke opened the large drawer on the right and was greeted with two bottles of whiskey hidden underneath yet more rummage. One of them was already empty, to his dismay, though the other one was still unopened.

"Nick must have stolen 'em from Pete, back when we were still underage and dependent on parties or Pete's collection to get alcohol," Luke said, grinning.

 _ **(O) Take bottle**_

Luke kept the bottle, hoping to save it for a special occasion. "We probably don't really need to get buzzed this early in the morning, but you never know." He laughed to himself.

 _ **(O) Look through drawers**_

He opened the various drawers on Nick's nightstand and his dresser, noticing that he had kept a lot of old pictures of them. There were images of the two together, smiling and fooling around, from as early as elementary school. "I can't believe that Nick's actually kept these old photos and drawin's all these years. Some of them are from back when we were just kids... They must really mean a lot to him." Luke smiled, looking through the contents of the drawer.

Sharon had taken most of the photos, grateful that her timid son had found a new friend in Luke, but he also noticed more recent pictures of them, including some of their self-portraits. There seemed to be an awful lot of images which were actually just of Luke, some of which he couldn't remember Nick ever taking of him.

Luke also looked through some of the old drawings that he had made for Nick. He recalled doodling fantasy creatures and scenarios as a child with his best friend. "I remember how we'd loved old superhero comics… We would make up our own stories and draw them, and they were what inspired us to be dumb enough to jump across those roofs downtown," Luke reminisced.

He put away the photographs and drawings, and walked back over to Nick's bed.

 _ **(O) Look at Nick**_

Nick was still curled up and fast asleep. He appeared to have noticed that Luke was no longer next to him, and rolled back onto his other side.

His bronzed face and dark hair were illuminated by the orange glow of the early morning light. He actually looked rather peaceful asleep, and it was clear that whatever he was dreaming about must have been something happy. Luke smiled, noticing that the corners of Nick's lips were curled into a slight smile.

"I'm not sure why his face is lookin' redder than usual... unless he's dreamin' about somethin' more 'exciting.'" Luke chuckled.

 _ **[Wake Nick]**_

[Let him sleep]

"Hey, wake up, Nick." Luke gently shook his friend by the arm.

"You always ruin it at the best part..." Nick protested, giving Luke an annoyed glare. Obviously he wanted to finish, as evidenced by the tent formed underneath the sheets, even if it was all just in his dreams. "This better be worth it."

| Sorry. |

| That's kind of pathetic. |

| Keep dreaming. |

 _ **[Show bottle]**_

Luke pulled out the bottle, showing it to his friend. "Is this good enough?" He grinned, hoping that Nick would lighten up. "I mean, not like we really need to take a shot first thing in the mornin', but it can't hurt..."

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

Nick looked up at Luke, smiling, having forgiven him. Alcohol always worked on Nick, even if he would end up worse off than before when the hangover set in. "I forgot I still had that... I was keepin' it for an emergency someday." He chuckled.

"I still remember raidin' Pete's booze collection when we'd go visit him. He had so many bottles, he would never notice when we stole one or two for ourselves." Luke laughed, recalling them as teenagers desperate to find out what being drunk was like.

"I don't see how he expected me to be sober 'n shit when he's got a room filled with all sorts of booze. I mean, he had beer and whiskey and even some fancy wine last time we checked." Thankfully, Pete was one of those overly-happy and carefree drunks. If only he could say the same about Nick's father. Fortunately, that "piece of shit," in Pete's wording, had been removed from Nick's life long ago.

Luke smiled brightly. "It sure was nice when he got drunk, wasn't it?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. At least he couldn't lecture me on how much of a fuckin' disappointment I am to him and my mom." Nick sighed and placed a hand on his forehead.

Luke gave his friend a sympathetic look. "Yeah… Anyways, uh, feel up for a shot nice 'n early?" He opened the bottle, offering it to Nick.

"They'll be pissed I'm buzzed this early, but I really don't give a damn anymore, if I'm honest." Nick eagerly took the bottle, downing what was definitely more than the equivalent of just one shot. He handed the whiskey back to Luke, who took a more reasonable swig of alcohol. He still had things to do today, of course.

"Why don't you put somethin' on the stereo?" Nick requested, as he leaned back and placed his arms behind his head. "Your choice, I guess."

 _ **(O) Look at CD rack**_

Nick had an extensive collection of albums and singles that he had collected over the years. The majority of them were held in no particular order on his shelves, though Luke noticed a few that stood out to him for some reason.

[ _Sparklehorse_ album]

[ _Kryptonite_ by _Three Doors Down_ ]

[ _Twenty Seconds to Mars_ album]

 _ **[Unlabeled disc]**_

A certain unlabeled disc caught Luke's attention the most. It had no title or anything to denote what exactly was on it. He supposed he would find out what it was right now. As he reached for it, Nick looked up, his eyes widening.

"T-that's private," Nick interjected, snatching it out of Luke's hands.

"Hey, what gives? I was jus' curious what you got on there... Unless it ain't music on that CD..." Luke chuckled, teasing his friend.

"It's not music - I mean - not like that. It ain't like it's a fuckin' porno or anythin'... But it definitely ain't worth listenin' to," he insisted, folding his arms.

"Is it really that embarrassing, Nick?" Luke grinned, nudging him playfully.

"Yeah, it is. Just put somethin' else in the fuckin' radio, all right?" Nick didn't seem willing to let him hear whatever was on that disc.

"Fine... I won't mess with it. For now, at least. But you're gonna have to at least tell me what's on that CD that you don't want me listenin' to." Luke smirked.

Nick frowned, looking at the disc for a while before placing it aside. He sighed. "It was stupid. I was drunk or on somethin' and either you or me convinced myself to actually record that and put it on a CD for somebody," he explained.

"Who was it for? Somebody you thought you were into?" Luke inquired, amused.

"It doesn't matter," Nick responded bluntly. "I was gonna get rid of it already but I must've forgotten. Just put somethin' else in the stereo."

 _ **[Sparklehorse album]**_

[ _Kryptonite_ by _Three Doors Down]_

[ _Twenty Seconds to Mars_ album]

[ _The Chasers_ album]

"This one looks interesting..." Luke had no idea who or what Sparklehorse was, but he was willing to take a listen to the album. He thought that the name of the band was rather creative.

"Skip to track three; it's the best song on that album," Nick ordered, looking at the disc that Luke had picked up.

 _ **(O) Insert disk**_

Luke placed the disc inside the stereo and turned on the power. He skipped to the third song on the album, as Nick had told him. He was greeted with a heavy, guitar-led introduction. Luke laid down next to Nick, listening as the the band's airy voices began to sing.

"What's its name, anyways? The song we're listenin' to right now?" Luke asked, curious. "I could get into this kind of music…"

"Piano Fire. It's the only song I really like on this album. I heard it somewhere and I wanted it for myself, but they never put it out as a single... So I bought the entire album instead." Nick chuckled, looking back at Luke.

They were interrupted by Nick's mother, Sharon. "Would you turn that down already, Nick?! Your uncle's comin' to visit this mornin'!" she shouted. Pete was right; Nick and his mother did have the same bad temper.

Nick rolled his eyes, groaning. He reluctantly got up from his bed and turned off the stereo. "I can't deal with this kinda shit this early in the mornin'... I need another shot," he said, grabbing the whiskey.

Luke laughed to himself. "You two sure haven't changed much..."

"Tell me about it. I guess I remember now why I even bothered to come with you to Atlanta." Nick had definitely enjoyed that break from his nagging mother and uncle, though he obviously still cared about and missed them. "Anyways, I guess we oughta head downstairs... You can put some of my old clothes on if you want."

 _ **(O) Look in closet**_

"Not really my style, is it?" Luke opened Nick's closet, browsing through band shirts and dark jeans. They were leftovers from Nick's more rebellious phase.

"It's all I got left since we forgot to actually pack yesterday. I mean, I don't even wear this shit anymore." Nick himself had grown out of that sort of clothing too, though he must have thought it would be fun to see Luke dress up as a punk or emo poser.

 _ **[ Wear Nick's clothing ]**_

[ Put on your own clothes ]

"I know. But I'll play dress-up with ya if you insist..." Luke chuckled, reaching for a black shirt with a triangle emblem and some obscure symbols. Nick turned away to give him his privacy, even though they both already knew what they looked like.

"Well, whaddaya think? I figure this makes for a good angsty, teenage Nick costume…" Luke smiled and struck a dorky pose.

Nick turned around and burst out in laughter at his friend. Luke had the black graphic tee on, along with some dark, torn jeans and a gray jacket. They both knew that he looked ridiculous in Nick's old clothing. It just barely fit him, even though Nick was taller.

"Hey… You actually still fit in my old clothes, fatass," Nick teased.

"Yeah, yeah... Lemme at least check myself out in the mirror. I might just keep this if it looks good on me. Well, except for the jacket. It's probably gonna be hot as hell today."

Luke closed the door behind him, heading towards the bathroom. He splashed some water onto his face and looked up at his reflection. He actually looked decent in Nick's old band shirt and jeans, and his messy bedhead completed the look. "Y'know, I might just rock this for today," he said, grinning.

He decided to go see how Caitlin was doing before making his way downstairs. He could hear Pete and Sharon talking, and the scent of breakfast being prepared reached his nose, starting his appetite.

* * *

Before Luke went down to join them, he opted to look around more. Of course, Sharon's room was off-limits to him. He ran into Caitlin in the hallway on his way to the guest room. She looked up at him, smiling gently. "Good morning, Luke."

"Hey, Caitie. You sleep well last night?"

"I guess... I'm just still sad over what's happening to dad," she sighed. "So, why are you dressed like that, anyways?" she asked, looking up and down Luke's outfit.

"I dunno… Nick lended me some of his old clothes… And this is what I came up with." He chuckled, feeling awkward yet confident in his wardrobe for the day. "You like it?"

"That's not really your style, right?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No… it ain't. At least not any time soon. You know I'm more of a plain sweater and jeans kind of guy." He laughed, smiling at his sister. "Anyways, it looks like Sharon 'n Pete must be makin' breakfast already. I'll see y'all in a bit."

"Okay… By the way, I'm going to be volunteering at the hospital this morning, but we'll all go back to visit daddy in the afternoon," Caitlin mentioned, smiling.

 _ **| I'll help you. |**_

| We'll spend time together later as a family. |

"Hey, I can come with you, Cait. Oughta help around this town sometime… Maybe I'll bring Nick along too." Luke chuckled, knowing that Nick would not be looking forward to whatever Caitlin had in store for them.

 _ **(?) Caitlin will remember that.**_

"Really? I mean, you and Nick don't have to feel obligated to-"

"It's fine, Cat.. We'd love to give a hand wherever it's possible." Luke smiled, eager to spend more time with his sister while actually being a contributing member of society. Though he wasn't sure if Nick would provide much use to them, assuming that he was more than just buzzed on whiskey by now.

Her lips curled into a happy smile. "All right. I guess you'll have to tell Nick to get ready, then," Caitlin said, descending the staircase to greet Pete and Sharon.

 _ **(O) Enter guest room**_

The guest room was rather plain as bedrooms come. Obviously there weren't any posters on the walls or rubbish across the floor. It almost looked as if Caitlin hadn't even slept there last night, if it weren't for her big messenger bag leaning against the bed, and several of her books resting on the table. She had cleaned up after herself and tidied up the bed. Sharon would definitely appreciate that.

 _ **(O) Look inside bag**_

Caitlin's messenger bag was larger on the inside than it seemed. He remembered her calling him about her fancy new bag last year, when she began her freshman year in high school. During the school year, she could probably carry all of her books and folders with ease. She kept all sorts of essentials, from pens and pencils to napkins and hair ties, and her "feminine products."

Luke noted, "She carries just about anythin' she might need in here…"

 _ **(O) Look at clothing**_

He noticed, "She even left a spare change of clothing inside, just in case it's necessary." He then put her bag down. "And… this is probably her dirty laundry from yesterday. Whoops."

She must have bathed and put on her new outfit while Luke and Nick were busy earlier that morning. Her style was consistent thus far: blouses, long skirts, and leggings underneath to cover up her legs. Her school cardigan was left unbuttoned due to the heat, though. "It definitely seems like she's tryin' her best to look modest, I guess," Luke mentioned.

 _ **(O) Look at books**_

Upon closer inspection, Luke noticed that her diary was left open, next to some novel and her pocket Bible. He chuckled. "All right, I really oughta try 'n resist the temptation to read about whatever drama it is fourteen-year-old girls write in their diaries about."

 _ **(O) Read diary**_

"Or not. I mean, she won't notice…" Luke scanned the room, as if she was about to walk in. But he knew that Caitlin would be downstairs with Pete and Sharon by now. He looked at the most recent entry.

It read:

 _July 21, 2003. I know I haven't really kept up with writing and recording down the things that happen to me ever since school ended in you, Anne, but yesterday has been such a day. I can't believe that my older brother is finally here. Maybe he doesn't realize it, but it actually means so much that he was able to get over whatever issues he had with Daddy and come to visit us all again. I'm just so grateful he did come back. I really did miss him, and you already know about how lonely I do feel, having such few people that I can talk to. But now that Luke's here, I really don't seem to feel as alone. The truth is, that feeling of loneliness is one of the worst things one can experience. Oh, how I long for a real friend. A friend is all I want for once in my life. Nothing more, nothing less._

Luke smiled. "It's nice to know how much she cares. But now I feel more guilty about everything," he thought.

 _ **(O) Read Bible**_

A series of verses that Caitlin had underlined caught his eye too. "Y'know, I really oughta try readin' scripture more often…"

Caitlin's Bible was turned to the book of Lamentations, and Luke focused on the verses she had just marked: _I remember my afflictions and wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I remember them well, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of His great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They begin anew every morning, and great is your faithfulness._

"I'll keep that in mind," Luke said.

It seemed that there wasn't much left to see in the guest room, unless Luke continued invading his sister's privacy. He had definitely already snooped around far too much.

 _ **(O) Go downstairs**_

Luke made his way down the hallway, and Nick emerged from his room, dressed in an outfit similar to Luke. It looked like they would be matching today. "Figure I can spare you some of the embarrassment…" Nick smiled. At least he hadn't continued drinking in his room, appearing just somewhat buzzed from the alcohol.

"Yeah, but it's gonna be weird seein' my parents and then volunteerin' at a hospital dressed up like this." Luke chuckled, looking at Nick. He hadn't seen him looking almost punk-like since college, when Nick had the chance to go absolutely crazy with his wardrobe since his mother and uncle weren't able to dictate his life in the dormitories.

"Wait… you found us some cash? Are we gonna get paid for this?" Nick asked, remembering that they were broke. The spare change in their car was probably all they had left, unless this just happened to be their lucky day and they found some cash for themselves. Or they could just ask their parents, as they had done to start their business in the first place. Luke would go to Pete first, knowing that he couldn't be angry with him along with the fact that his own family had his father's medical bills to deal with.

"No, Nick. Least I don't think so. The term 'volunteer' usually implies that you don't get paid, y'know?" Luke chuckled.

"Then count me out-" Luke flashed him a saddened look, which always worked on just about anyone. "Fine, whatever," Nick gave in. "But we're findin' somethin' to do tomorrow where we can actually get paid, 'cause you know we're fuckin' broke right now."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll think 'bout it later. Right now, I guess I oughta catch up with your folks."

"I bet they'll be real excited to see you," Nick grumbled, moving downstairs. It was probably true that Pete and Sharon would easily forgive Luke for everything he had done, given how much they appreciated his optimism and motivation, two things which Nick could use more of.

"Somebody jealous?" Luke teased, grinning.

"Just shut up." Nick rolled his eyes, leading Luke to the table where Pete, his mother, and Caitlin were already having breakfast and making conversation. They all looked up, smiling at Luke.


	8. Family Feud

**EPISODE ONE:** _ **Anew Every Morning**_

 _Part 8: Family Feud_

* * *

"And there he is, Mr. Porter back in action 'round these parts."

Sharon and Pete were clearly in a better mood now, having spent time talking with Caitlin. From what Luke could tell so far, Caitlin had grown up into a polite, timid fourteen-year-old girl. She was probably almost like the perfect daughter neither of them had. Sharon's only child was Nick, who'd always raised hell with her and Pete ever since he reached adolescence (encouraged by Luke, of course), while Uncle Pete never married or had children of his own, coming to the conclusion that his unruly nephew was more than enough to handle. Pete and Sharon would have probably preferred it if Nick had remained the timid, quiet grade schooler that Luke vaguely recalled from their childhood, for their sake.

"Good mornin'... Nice to see y'all again; kinda feels like goin' back in time or somethin', since everythin' still looks just how I remembered it around town." Luke smiled at Nick's mother and uncle, taking a seat across from them.

"You're actin' like it's been a lifetime, dear. Not much changes around here, Luke, especially not in two years. And that's just fine by me, for the most part," Sharon said.

"I can sure see why you two'd be eager to leave for the city. I imagine y'all'd want to experience somethin' new for once and find yourselves a place to call your own." Pete rubbed at his bare scalp, probably mourning the loss of his hair. His now-complete baldness was a testament to how long it actually had been since Luke had been home.

"Yeah, I guess maybe I just got bored. Though, I think that I probably didn't 'ppreciate what we had goin' for us here as much as I should've." Luke looked away, feeling guilty again.

"No use feelin' sorry for yourself now, son. What's done is done," Pete insisted.

 _ **| You aren't mad? |**_

| I'm sorry. |

| Thanks, Pete. |

| … |

"Y'all ain't mad or anythin'?" Luke asked. "I mean, I know I dragged Nick along with me 'n left without sayin' much."

"You did the right thing, dear," Sharon reassured him. "You moved on, and who are we and this town to keep you from followin' your dreams? Long as you make sure to keep takin' care of Nick here, that is," she joked.

Nick raised his voice, quickly becoming irritated. "I can take care of-" He was interrupted by Luke gently nudging him.

"Nick, please, it's far too early for this." Sharon gave her son an obviously unamused look. She clearly did not want to start anything this early in the morning if she could afford not to.

"Miss Sharon? May I be excused?" Caitlin quietly asked for permission to excuse herself from the table, not wanting to get involved in any argument.

"Of course, dear." Sharon must absolutely adore Caitlin. "Now, both of y'all better eat up. Maybe that'll keep 'im quiet for a bit."

 _ **(O) Eat breakfast**_

* * *

Sharon must have enlisted Caitlin's help to prepare them a particularly special breakfast that morning, knowing that Luke was back in town. The russet table was topped with a stack of golden brown buttermilk pancakes, flanked by a bowl of fruits and plates containing strips of bacon, eggs, and hash browns. Luke dug in enthusiastically, savoring every bite of the meal. If there was something he had missed the most about his hometown while they were in Atlanta, it was probably the food, thinking back on it.

"I suppose I don't need t' ask you how the breakfast is, Luke, considerin' how quickly you finished it off," Sharon remarked, smiling.

"It's better than I remembered," Luke responded, eyeing the food and contemplating whether or not to reach for another helping.

"Heh. Fatass." Nick chuckled under his breath, hoping his mother hadn't heard that. Luke elbowed him again, but harder. Though, Nick's disparaging remark was starting to become true. Luke had grown wider and gained more than a couple of inches around his increasingly pudgy waistline since high school, and Nick made sure to remind him of how he'd let himself go as often as he could. That made Nick seem hypocritical, though, as it wasn't like a diet entirely consisting of alcohol and cheap junk food had done him any favors either. They both knew what the other looked like, even if Nick was so awkward about either of them being in any state of undress less than a shirt and underwear, for whatever reason.

"Good answer. You're still smart, Luke... Though I can't take all the credit this time; Caitlin helped me out preparin' breakfast today, actually." Sharon pretended not to hear Nick's comment, trying to avoid a quarrel between her, Pete, and Nick, especially considering that they were supposed to be talking about Luke and his father's condition.

"I'm serious; the food over in Atlanta doesn't stand a chance against your cookin' and the old diner," Luke complimented. "A meal for us in the city was usually a glass of beer 'n maybe some stale takeout, if we were lucky," he added, laughing.

Luke couldn't help but notice the slight smile forming across Nick's face. Despite how much Nick complained about life in Atlanta, he couldn't deny that they both had a blast. Two years of taking the South's premiere city by storm had brought them countless adventures and memories which Luke knew both of them would cherish forever. Even if they were either intoxicated or hungover for the majority of it, they still retained a decent recollection of all the mischief Luke and Nick had dragged each other into.

"You poor things, both of y'all. Well, you won't have to worry about goin' without a decent meal anytime soon, Luke." Sharon gave her brother a look, deciding whether or not to bring up the subject of Luke's father and his family.

Pete took the initiative. "So… How are ya holdin' up, son?" he asked. "Your sister seems to be takin' the situation well, but we don't know yet about how you're dealin'."

 _ **| I'm fine. |**_

| I don't know. |

| I feel bad about everything. |

| … |

"I'm fine, Pete. I mean, I really don't know what t' think yet. I just know that I gotta be here for mom 'n my sister from now on," Luke answered. A part of him felt terrible about not always being there for his family and for having such a strained relationship with his father. But he was also wondering why he didn't feel as sad about his father's terminal condition as he thought he should be. Perhaps that was just a result of the stiffness that still persisted between Luke and his father.

"I understand. Though your sister seems like she's handlin' her own pretty well," Pete mentioned, catching on that Luke seemed reluctant to talk about himself right now and how he was feeling about things.

 _ **| She's capable. |**_

| I don't know about that. |

"I think she's a lot more capable than people might give her credit for, still bein' a fourteen-year-old girl," Luke agreed.

"I definitely agree with that. She might be young, but she's just as able as anybody... Anyways, you two dressin' up in your teenaged Nick Halloween costumes or somethin' today?" Pete asked, changing the subject back to something more trivial.

"Naw, jus'... It's all he got left in his closet. Must've brought his other clothes 'n left them over in our apartment."

"Good thing you both haven't outgrown 'em, then. I remember we were worried Nick wouldn't stop growin' at one point…" Sharon laughed, recalling them as teenagers.

"I still remember back when I could look down on Nick here…" Luke chuckled. Being the eldest of the two, Luke had been the taller boy until they reached high school. Unfortunately, Luke hadn't grown any taller since their junior year, and Nick had officially surpassed him by that point.

"Oughta seen the look on his face when they said I'd gotten taller than him," Nick mentioned, smirking.

"It's good to see you two ain't changed since the last time we got everyone together," Pete remarked, with an entertained smile. At least his nephew and his best friend still got along. Even if Nick was still a general disappointment to him and Sharon, having yet to make something of his life, at least he hadn't managed to screw up his relationship with the only real friend he had. Pete and Sharon didn't have much reason to worry after nearly twenty years of friendship, though, and they were confident that Nick and Luke would always remain at each other's side.

"Though I was hopin' maybe, just the two of you livin' in Atlanta, you'd help Nick finally get his life on track for once," Sharon lamented. Being his mother, of course she just wanted the best for Nick, and for him to stop being so childish at times. Obviously he couldn't keep on like that and expect to get anywhere in life.

Nick began as usual, quick to get annoyed by his mother and uncle's nagging. "I don't need any-"

"-Especially considerin' the two of you bein' grown men now," Sharon continued, interrupting her son to his annoyance. Nick shot his mother a glare, which she ignored. Whatever good mood Nick seemed to have been in was promptly replaced by a renewed annoyance for his family and their constant pressure on him.

"Heard about the big plans you had over in Atlanta… Figure that's a good start." Uncle Pete smiled, hoping that maybe his nephew wasn't so hopeless given that Luke was there to guide him when things were rough.

 _ **| It didn't work out… |**_

| It's going well so far… |

"Oh, yeah… about that…" Luke scratched the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly. "It didn't work out. In fact, we're pretty much broke now." He chuckled awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood.

 _ **(?) They will remember that.**_

Pete seemed disappointed initially, having wished that maybe he and Nick would actually find success in Atlanta and give him a reason to be truly proud of his nephew for the first time in years, but his expression quickly softened and he regained his happy, relaxed demeanor towards Luke. "I can't say I'm surprised. I know how competitive the restaurant 'n bar business must be, son."

 _ **| It was stupid. |**_

| It was a good idea. |

"Yeah… Might've been kinda stupid, lookin' back on it," Luke agreed, laughing.

"Of course it was," Nick muttered, refusing to look back up at his uncle and mother and keeping his gaze fixed on his plate. Nick seemed to have a special predisposition to getting in a terrible mood whenever he was with his family, easily being pissed off and offended by literally anything Uncle Pete and his mother said about him and his relationship with Luke. Luke understood that they could both be too overbearing and expectant of him, though Nick often did bring a lot of it on himself. Sometimes, he actually found himself agreeing with Pete and Sharon over Nick's behavior.

"Nick here told us you two were out drinkin' again when you suggested startin' a bar of your own to him…" Sharon mentioned, amused.

Luke chuckled, reflecting on how the two of them had gone out for drinks six months ago like usual, and then he'd come up with the idea out of the blue and convinced himself and an equally inebriated Nick to quit their jobs and pursue his "big plan." Though, it was probably only a matter of time before Luke and Nick would have gotten fed up with working for other people and thought of something where they could be their own bosses. Just the two of them, together.

Luke explained, "I guess the fact we were drunk oughta be the reason it seemed like such a good idea at the time to us. We thought it'd be fun for once t' not work for anybody but ourselves after all those different jobs we'd gotten. So, we'd make it work the best we could with what we got between the two of us. I figured that startin' our own bar might be a nice place to start, 'cause we could make it our own. I wanted it to be special, and I went all out fixin' up the place so it'd be perfect for us." Luke smiled happily, recalling how he spent a small fortune decorating the space to reflect himself, Nick, and their friendship. He truly put his heart and soul into it, determined to finally have something to show off as the result of all their hard work.

"I sure wish we'd gotten the chance to see it, son," Pete said.

"Me too. I just hoped we'd get somewhere for once," Luke remarked, sighing.

Truthfully, it would have probably worked out if it weren't for their financial mismanagement. Luke had been too eager to rush things, anxious to see their business flourish. He'd spent too much in a short period of time and lost track of their expenses, needing money to buy the property, renovate, and purchase the actual merchandise.

He continued. "Anyways, we also figured that we wouldn't have to spend so much on alcohol at our competition, since we'd get it cheaper buyin' direct and could mark up the prices for everybody else but ourselves. Or at least that's what I thought at the time. I mean, we weren't exactly thinkin' clearly when I came up with it, so…"

"...It's nice to know you two at the very least tried to put your alcoholism to good use," Sharon jested, smiling.

"I guess we spent those six months either drunk or hungover… Good thing they gave us our alcohol license fast enough; probably wouldn't've been good for us if we were stuck with all that booze to ourselves 'n nobody to sell it to and get rid of it before we ended up drinkin' it ourselves. Nick even tried makin' some of his own with an old still..." Luke laughed heartily.

"I mean it, dear," Sharon assured. "Maybe it's not what I had in mind as a particularly respectable profession for my son and his best friend, but it's good that you took some initiative and tried to make it work. That's more than I can say for Nick, at least…"

"Nick, you gotta take a lesson from Luke sometime. It's important to find some motivation and at least try to make somethin' out of your life, even if it ends up not workin' out," Pete said. "You can't keep on bein' so irresponsible and expect to get anywhere."

Nick was about to burst, unwilling to listen to his family lecture him again for what was probably the millionth time. Luke placed a rough hand on his knee from underneath the table in an attempt to calm him down, but he pushed his friend away in frustration. Of course, it didn't take much to get Nick going.

"Yeah. Whatever," Nick said, getting up from the table.

"Nick, get back here," Pete ordered. "Ain't polite to-"

"-You know, you don't have t' compare me to him all the time," Nick interrupted. "He comes back and now you two gotta be goin' on and on about how much better and responsible Luke and everybody else is compared to me." It took all of Nick's strength to not shout those words, but he'd clearly had enough. By the sound of his voice, Luke thought his friend might even be on the verge of tears, but he knew that Nick wouldn't dare show any sign of weakness with anybody but his best friend. Especially not with his uncle or mother.

"Nick, don't start," Pete warned.

"What? I'm jus' supposed to sit here and fuckin' wait, listenin' to you two talk about how much of a fuckin' screw-up I am and how y'all wish you had somebody else instead of me?" With Caitlin in the other room, Nick didn't think he had to hold back from profanity.

"Don't you dare make this about you, Nick. Not right now. Do you even realize what your friend and his family must be goin' through right now?" Sharon tried to reason, but her tone was quickly sounding hostile. "Someday, you'll figure out that you can't keep-"

"-Fuck this shit. Y'all can go ahead 'n adopt Luke if you love him so much." Nick's eyes shot open upon realizing what he had said. "F-fuck. I didn't-"

Suddenly, all eyes were on Luke, expecting him to express his opinion. His friend gave him a look which begged him for forgiveness. Luke could trust that Nick had never meant to get so angry and make himself the center of attention. He could tell that Nick was genuinely sorry for getting everybody all riled up. But, on the other hand, his family's concerns were entirely valid. Nick's behavior consistently got him into trouble, from which it was usually up to Luke to save him, and his sour attitude towards almost everything was preventing him from making something with his life. Like it or not, Nick had to learn to assume responsibility and find some ambition, but Luke felt bad about siding against his friend.

* * *

 _ **[ SIDE WITH NICK ]**_

[ SIDE WITH PETE AND SHARON ]

* * *

Luke decided he would try to support his friend in this argument. He was clearly outnumbered, after all.

"Hey… It's fine. I know he doesn't mean any of that," Luke reasoned. It was clear to him that Nick hadn't intended to get so worked up. His friend gave him a small, appreciative smile, grateful that he had come through for him again.

 ** _(?) They will remember that._**

Nick, Pete, and Sharon all exchanged awkward glances with each other. "Thank you, Luke," Sharon said. "But it doesn't make it fine for Nick to act out all of a sudden. Especially not with guests like yourself over, given the situation that you and your sister must be in right now."

Thankfully, it seemed that Luke's support had calmed Nick down and gotten him to think about his outburst. He didn't look like he was about to say something in retaliation.

"I'm real sorry you had to break things up between this family, son," Pete apologized. "Ain't right of any of us to make a scene when we all oughta be focused on more important things."

"Sorry." Nick didn't look up at his family, but at least he'd expressed his remorse. That was about as much as one could get from him, usually.

 _ **| It's fine. |**_

| You two should treat Nick better. |

| Nick, you should treat your family better. |

| … |

"It's fine… Though I guess I'd appreciate it if y'all tried to get along just a bit more." Luke chuckled, trying to lighten the mood again.

"Of course." Sharon sighed. "Your sister must be waitin' on you and Nick... poor thing. Don't let us stop you."

* * *

Luke entered the living room, where he found Caitlin expecting him and Nick. She put her book aside and looked up at her brother, her expression appearing saddened.

"Is it usually like that between them?" she asked. Luke felt terrible that she had overheard Nick and his family quarrel in the other room. He knew that Caitlin hated seeing people disagree over things.

 _ **| Yes. |**_

| Not always… |

"Pretty much, yeah." Luke laughed to himself. "I mean, they all provoke each other pretty often. Nick's family just wants the best for him, but I don't think they find the best way of supportin' him and helpin' him out. And Nick, well, you know he can get pretty riled up over things."

 _ **(?) Caitlin will remember that.**_

"I just wish that maybe they can get along better, then," Caitlin hoped. "It makes me sad to hear them fight like that."

| It makes me sad too. |

 _ **| I'll try to stop them from fighting. |**_

| They'll get along someday. |

| … |

"I'll do my best to make sure that they don't fight as much," Luke promised. "And that Nick behaves himself better," he added, chuckling.

"I hope so." Caitlin offered him a gentle smile. "I just don't want to see them like that. I think that Nick must feel really bad, the way Pete and Sharon treat him, but he shouldn't act like that-"

Nick walked in, plopping himself down next to Luke. He seemed to be in a slightly better mood now. Good thing Luke had helped him out. "Are y'all bondin' over how dysfunctional we are?"

"Yes," Caitlin admitted.

"Figures." He laughed dryly.

"Anyways, let's head out. You still up to come with us, Nick?" Luke asked.

"Yeah… And, uh, thanks for havin' my back there." Nick rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, refusing to look his friend directly in the eye.

"Hey, what'd I say?" Luke reassured, "I'll always be here for you, Nick."

"Stop gettin' all sappy," Nick insisted.


	9. Black Death

**EPISODE ONE:** _ **Anew Every Morning**_

 _Part 9: Black Death_

* * *

Luke had always found something off-putting about hospitals. He wasn't sure if it was the whitewashed walls, the dreary equipment, the plethora of drugs and pharmaceuticals, or the fact that he was surrounded by sick people. Thankfully, Clevesville's only hospital was rather small, just sufficient to fulfill the needs of a small town of about four thousand situated in what Luke considered to be the middle of nowhere.

He felt uncomfortable, but remembered that he and Nick were there to help Caitlin and the patients, and to see his parents again. His mother, Linda had stayed behind with John in his hospital room during the night they spent at Nick's house, refusing to leave her husband's side. It was apparent by now that John wouldn't recover, so Linda remained there, cherishing the little time she had left with him.

"Good to see you, miss Porter." The morning receptionist greeted them, looking up from her computer. "I see you've brought along Luke and his friend today?"

It seemed like people around town still remembered his name. Of course, Luke had always been noteworthy as Clevesville's golden boy, as he was just about everybody's friend. His amiable nature had always come in useful in making friends and becoming known around town. He imagined it must have come to the townspeople as a surprise when he'd packed up and left out of the blue, but he had always dreamt of bigger and better things. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that his small Tennessean hometown simply didn't offer everything he wanted out of life. Or, at least he thought it couldn't at the time.

Of course, Nick was simply referred to as just "Luke's friend," something which Luke knew irked him to that day. It wasn't just Pete and Sharon; Nick was always seen as just the troubled screw-up which Luke inexplicably kept around by most people. Earlier that morning had been an example of how much Nick hated being compared to Luke. He was his own person, damn it.

"It's nice to see you too, miss Thorpe… And, yes, Luke and Nick are here to help today." Caitlin smiled gently, but tried to contain her joy and excitement behind her facade of propriety. Luke thought Caitlin could afford to tone down her level of politeness, though she was simply acting how she had been raised. She was clearly on her way to becoming a model of a proper Southern belle.

"Sure are… It's nice to be in town again." Luke smiled, glad to be of help somehow.

"I'm sure you'll be fine showin' them what to do, miss Porter." The receptionist looked back up at the two men, happy to have additional volunteers.

"Of course." Caitlin took Luke's hand, leading him and Nick towards the patient rooms.

"Don't worry about signin' any paperwork or the likes. We're just glad that somebody's here to help out," the receptionist mentioned.

"Uh, what exactly are we doin'?" Nick asked.

"Relax. It ain't like we're actually gonna be operatin' on anybody, Nick." Luke chuckled, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"It's easy; all you really need to do is just talk with people, and maybe play with the children here. Sometimes, the patients' families and friends aren't able to stay here all the time, so that's why we're here. To keep them company… And because…" Caitlin's gentle voice softened and trailed off. She looked down at her shoes for moment but quickly regained her seemingly bright and happy attitude. Of course, Luke knew what she was about to say. Their father was still here, stuck in his hospital bed, and it was unlikely he'd ever get out. His condition had deteriorated past the point where there could be any hope of a full recovery.

"Oh. I thought-" Nick blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Never mind." Luke was about to jokingly call him a dumbass, but he remembered that Caitlin was still there.

"It'll be fun." Caitlin smiled at Nick. "Well, maybe it'll be kind of awkward too for you, but you'll realize it's not really that weird after a while."

Luke thought it was nice that Caitlin and Nick seemed to be getting along. The last time they'd really been together, she had still just been a little girl. She was mature enough now to interact and have conversations with the adults. Though, granted, Luke and Nick weren't exactly the epitome of maturity.

"I hope so." Nick looked back at Luke.

| You'll be fine. |

 _ **| Do you think you want me? |**_

| It's only awkward if you make it. |

| … |

"Think you want me to come with?" Luke offered, smiling.

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

"I guess so. I'm… probably not good at this kinda stuff," Nick acknowledged. Luke didn't think Nick had to worry about whether or not he could talk to people, though he knew that Nick experienced a degree of difficulty at socializing and making new friends. But the patients would probably just appreciate their company regardless.

"You two should meet Christopher," Caitlin chimed in. "He's really sweet, and I know he'd love to meet you both."

| I'd love to. |

| Who is he? |

 _ **| You have a boyfriend? |**_

| … |

"He's 'real nice?' Cait, don't tell me you got a boyfriend now… Now I sure feel like it's been way too long." Luke chuckled, teasing his little sister. He didn't actually think that would be the case, considering that she herself had just come home from her boarding school in Charleston last month, unless she brought this 'Christopher' fellow home with her for the summer.

"What?" Caitlin's cheeks turned a bright red for a second, but it was obvious that she was just confused. "He's ten years old, Luke. He and his daddy, Mr. Thomson, got into a car accident where he was injured really badly," Caitlin explained. "He has to work overtime now to pay for the medical bills."

"Oh, well, I was just jokin'. But I guess you already know that any boy'd have to get through dad 'n me first before he gets to talk to you," Luke stated, laughing. It was definitely true, though. Neither he nor John would let just any loser date Caitlin.

"Right. Anyways…" Caitlin opened the door to a room where a towheaded young boy was waiting for them. The nurse gave the three of them a smile before exiting the room.

* * *

"Catie!" the boy squealed, excited.

"Hi, Chris." Caitlin bent over to give the boy a quick hug. "Meet my older brother, Luke, and his best friend, Nick," she said, gesturing towards them.

"Hey, kiddo." Luke gave Chris a wave, grinning.

Nick had the most hilariously awkward smile on his face that one could imagine.

"Hi! Caitlin already told me a lot about you, mister Luke!" The child exclaimed, "She said you're really really nice. Caitlin said you like to draw too."

 _ **| Do you like drawing too? |**_

| She talked to you about me? |

| What do you want to do? |

| … |

"You like drawin' too?" Luke smiled warmly. "I guess you could say I've always had a sorta thing for art."

"Yeah!" Chris exclaimed. "But I really can't draw 'till my arm gets better. The nurse said that she'll get me some pencils and paper once I can use my arm again." The kid definitely seemed excited. Luke seemed to know what he was doing so far with children.

"Well, it sure'd be nice to see your drawin's, Chris. I may not be the best at it, but I sure do love it." Luke beamed with happiness, glad to connect with an eight-year-old over something which he was truly passionate about.

He could see Nick giving him a knowing smirk. Of course, Luke couldn't tell a child about all of the things he had drawn in his sketchbook. He usually justified his sketches of figures to Nick as "anatomical studies," but they both knew what the real intent of those drawings was. Nick couldn't judge him for that, though. Luke was well aware of the kinds of magazines Nick was fond of collecting under his bed.

"You really don't have to be so modest. We all know that you're really good at drawing, Luke," Caitlin pointed out.

"Maybe. I mean, I wasn't good enough t' get by just with my sketches, that's for sure." Luke noticed that the kid was probably confused now.

"What do you like, mister...?" The child quickly changed the subject, his gaze turning to Nick.

"His name is Nick," Caitlin reminded him, her voice a friendly whisper.

"Oh. Nick, what do you like to do?" Chris's gentle brown eyes implored Nick to tell more about himself.

"Me?" Nick looked up, surprised. "Uh… Well… I don't know. Not much, I guess." He shrugged. Obviously, "alcohol" would have been an inappropriate response. Though Luke supposed he could have mentioned his love of music or even sleeping, to invoke a bit of humor. Nick was far more interesting than he made himself out to be, in Luke's opinion.

"It's okay, Nick." Caitlin smiled. Chris then tried to talk to Nick about a different subject, keeping himself occupied. Caitlin turned back to her older brother. "You're kind of a natural at talking with children, you know?"

 _ **| It's fun; I like working with children. |**_

| Maybe. I'm trying. |

| I'm not really too fond of this, honestly… |

| … |

"I guess maybe I'm just good with kids. It's real fun workin' with the little ones, honestly." Luke grinned. Of course he found it easy to relate to children, him and Nick acting like oversized kids a lot of the time they were together. Though they could both act mature when they really had to.

 _ **(?) Caitlin will remember that.**_

"It probably helps that you're kind of still a kid yourself," Caitlin teased.

"Yeah." Luke chuckled. "That's probably part of it."

Caitlin was about to say something, but she was interrupted by some commotion coming from the adjacent hospital wing, down the hallway. Luke could hear things being overturned and the sound of hurried footsteps.

"The hell?" Nick wondered aloud, forgetting to keep his filter on around Caitlin and the kid.

 _ **| It's probably fine. |**_

| Maybe something's going on? |

| Something seems wrong. |

| … |

"It's probably fine," Luke supposed, though he couldn't exactly be certain with all of the strange encounters reported recently. He still didn't think much of what had happened in Atlanta two days ago, and he certainly didn't want to recall kicking what was probably some crackhead in the nose.

"I mean, daddy is upstairs," Caitlin said. "I don't think I know who might be in the side building, though. I guess something must have happened to them right now…"

Everybody remained puzzled until the nurse's piercing scream confirmed that something was definitely off. It seemed like somebody else had run to assist her, as Luke could hear a distinctly male voice shouting frantically.

"We gotta see what's goin' on, man," Nick pleaded. His voice seemed calm, but his widening eyes betrayed his fear. "There's been a lot of weird… stuff lately, and those things they were talkin' about on the news."

"Guess you're right," Luke agreed. Even if he didn't believe, or didn't want to believe, that anything would be wrong, there was no denying that it definitely warranted some investigation. The strange news reports had everybody on edge. "Cait, mind keepin' a watch on Chris and mom 'n dad while we figure out what's what?"

"Of course," Caitlin said.

"Be careful then!" Chris smiled.

"Hey, careful's my middle name," Luke joked.

Caitlin giggled. "As if."

* * *

The two men rounded the corner, entering the hospital's side wing. It was unlikely that there would be many patients held in that section of the building.

But nothing could have really prepared Luke and Nick for the horrific sight before them. At the end of the corridor, the nurse was resting against the wall and bleeding out from a deep gash on her leg and several other wounds. A middle-aged man was being attacked by a belligerent patient. The aggressor's eyes were glazed over with the same white film that they had seen on the druggie and the woman at the gas station, and he was crawling across the floor, trying to bite the doctor. The normal man had slipped and fallen over, and was trying to move backwards and away from the crazed psychopath. His assailant managed to get the upper hand, climbing on top of him. He aimed straight for his neck as the older man attempted to push him off in vain.

"What the fuck?" Nick was frozen next to Luke, paralyzed by the shock. He instinctively grabbed Luke's arm.

"We have to do somethin', Nick." Luke placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, trying to calm him down. "Just breathe."

"Yeah, yeah." Nick took a deep breath, in an attempt to recollect himself.

The sane man succeeded at getting the attacker off of him, pushing him back against the door, but Luke could see several red marks left where his aggressor was able to bite through the clothing. "Please help, you two!" he begged.

"Yeah! We're comin'!" Luke quickly scanned the room, looking for anything that they could use as a weapon against the madman. The hallway was mostly empty save for the plastic chairs lining the walls, a cart containing various medical equipment which was left astray, and the fire extinguisher.

 _ **(O) Use cart**_

With a firm kick, Luke sent the cart across the hallway. It seemed to have pinned the madman to the wall, where he was fruitlessly trying to free himself and get it off of him. Luke ran over to the injured man and the nurse, as Nick picked up the fire extinguisher just in case they might need it.

"Nick, check on the nurse over there, all right?" Luke commanded. "She sure don't look too good."

"Y-yeah." Nick kneeled over and began inspecting the woman. It appeared that she must have gone unconscious due to the blood loss.

"Sir, you all right?" Luke asked, helping the victim up. He handed the older man his glasses which had fallen and cracked during the attack. "That was pretty, well, intense."

"Me? I'm fine, trust me. Just needa fix up this arm. T-thanks for the help there, kid." The man caught his breath again, and he turned around to help Nick with the nurse.

Thankfully, one of the doctors rushed over from one of the rooms, prompted by the ruckus they had made. He was clearly shocked by the sight of the nurse bleeding out on the floor, the bespectacled man's arm covered in bite marks, and a patient pinned under the cart. "W-what the hell just happened here?"

"I don't got the slightest clue as to what's goin' on, but that guy over there was tryin' to kill this here fellow and he must've gotten the girl hurt real bad," Luke tried to explain between hurried breaths.

"He's tellin'... the truth." Nick was breathing hard too. Luke noticed the older fellow dialing for the police.

"I'm just callin' the sheriff to see if they can come 'n investigate this stuff…" The man explained. "I'm hearin' 'bout crazy shit like this goin' on in the big cities and I'm worried that whatever's happening might be here too. I mean, what the hell got into him? You saw how he flipped and tried to kill me and the girl?" He looked back at the madman, who was still struggling underneath the cart.

 _ **| Something is wrong. |**_

| Things will be okay. |

Luke shuddered. "Yeah. Somethin' ain't right here. And we better figure this out soon."

"No shit." Nick laughed panickedly.

The doctor called for another assistant to help the girl and the man into some beds. "Ain't no time to explain, just help me get 'em stable and we'll figure out what the hell just happened and whatever the heck got into that guy's head."

"Let's just head back to your sister. She's probably worried 'bout us. I know she's gotta be on edge with all this shit goin' on." Nick grabbed Luke's hand, leading him back to the main building where Caitlin and Chris were waiting.

* * *

"Luke! What happened?" Caitlin could tell that they weren't exactly calm after what happened. She put down the book she had been reading to Christopher. "I got really worried because you and Nick… Were you two able to figure out what was going on over there?"

* * *

 _ **[ TELL THE TRUTH ]**_

[ COMFORT HER ]

* * *

"It… wasn't pretty, to say the least. Some patient went crazy 'n started attackin' people." Luke could see Nick still shivering from that encounter.

"Oh my gosh." Caitlin's eyes widened. She looked down and put a hand on her forehead, trying to compose herself. She took a deep breath and pulled Luke aside, allowing Nick to keep Christopher entertained. "This sounds just like what we heard on the news… The stuff that's happening in the cities. Did… did you see something like this before you got here? I know that they only started reportin' about whatever this is a few days ago… People going missing and attacks by crazy people. I'm worried that something is seriously wrong."

"Y-yeah. We ran into a girl two nights ago, and got into this encounter on our way back. The first woman was actin' real strange, and the second actually almost tried to bite our legs off... But we made it safe, all right?" Luke didn't see why he shouldn't tell her what happened to them. It was best for her to stay informed about the situation, and to know that the things she'd heard about were entirely true.

 _ **(?) This action will have consequences.**_

"I just pray that things will turn out okay," Caitlin hoped.

| We'll be fine. |

 _ **| Just hope for the best. |**_

| I don't know if things will be all right. |

| … |

"Hey… just hope for the best. That's what'll get us through this, and I'm confident that we'll be fine through whatever's goin' on." Luke comforted her, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. He offered her a warm smile.

 _ **(?) Caitlin will remember that.**_

"I'll try," Caitlin responded.

"Good." Luke grinned.

"Um… I think I'm going to see daddy now. We'll be in the same room as yesterday," Caitlin mentioned. She looked back at Nick and the kid. "I guess Nick's getting the hang of this too," she added, laughing lightly.

"Yeah. I'll be there in a bit," Luke said.

"I'll see you two later." Caitlin gave Chris a quick hug and left the room. "Stay safe, okay?"

 _ **(O) Talk to Nick and Chris**_

"So how are y'all doin' here?" Luke asked.

"I'm fine, aside from the fact we just dealt with a psychopath over there… Uh… he asked me to keep readin' this to him." Nick showed Luke the book which Caitlin had started with Chris.

"I can read it, but it's a lot less annoyin' just listening to somebody else do it for me! Especially since there's no pictures in it…" Chris lamented.

"The pictures are always the best part, I guess." Nick smiled.

"Right… Like you'd know. I know ya haven't even read any sort of book since we graduated," Luke teased Nick, chuckling. It wasn't like Luke had ever been much of a reader either, though.

"You too." Nick laughed.

"Hey, it's 2003, ain't it? We got the internet now to look up stuff, don't we?"

Luke didn't see the need to really go to a library or touch a book anymore when they could just head to the internet cafe a few blocks away from their apartment and rent out a million books' worth of knowledge at their fingertips for a few hours. But then again, they were broke now. So it looked like they would have to rely on Luke's faded library card for the first time in a while if they wanted to look something up.

"I like computers! They got some at the library, and they're so much fun to play on!" Chris grinned.

"Definitely," Luke agreed. "I sure wish Nick 'n me had one for ourselves, but they're pretty darn expensive..."

He kept himself busy talking with Nick and Chris for a while, until he decided that it was probably time to check on his parents, and to see how the victims were doing. He thought that Chris would be fine for a few minutes while they went back to the side wing.

* * *

The sheriffs must have already arrived and begun investigating the situation, as there was an officer questioning the doctor's assistant about what had just happened. They simply asked for Luke to confirm that they had been assaulted by the man, and that anything they had done was purely in self-defense. Luke brought Nick to check on the victims and make sure that they were doing okay after the attack.

The middle-aged man they had helped was being patched up by another nurse. The female victim still seemed to be unconscious, resting in a hospital bed. The doctor's facial expression all but confirmed her fate.

 _ **| Is she dead? |**_

| Is she going to be fine? |

| Can you fix her? |

| … |

Luke bent over the woman. "Hey, is she…?"

"'Fraid so," the doctor affirmed, sighing. His voice seemed unnaturally calm and emotionless for having just witnessed his assistant's death. "She must have lost far too much blood right now. It's a shame; she was a real sweet girl."

| I'm sorry. |

| Are you okay? |

 _ **| Are you used to this? |**_

| … |

"Are you used to this or somethin'? Not tryin' to imply anythin'..." Luke was genuinely curious. He couldn't imagine being a doctor and having to deal with all of the patients that he couldn't save. Knowing himself, Luke would probably beat himself up over all those people that would be dying on his watch. He assumed that the doctor must have already gone through this kind of situation many times before, given his apparent age.

"Suppose you could say that. After twenty years in the profession, you kind of prepare yourself knowin' that you can't save everybody. It just ain't possible. Some people are just too far gone by the time they get here, be it from a deadly injury or a terminal disease, and there's just nothin' I or anybody can do at that point," the doctor explained. "The only thing that hasn't gotten easy for me is callin' the patients' families and friends and havin' to tell 'em the bad news."

"That was… pretty deep," Nick commented.

"Was it?" Before the doctor could continue, everybody's attention was drawn to the woman's corpse. She inexplicably began to move her arms and rolled out of the bed, falling onto the floor. She knocked over a piece of equipment in the process, which pinned the doctor down. She looked up at them and opened her eyes, revealing the white, clouded-over orbs. Luke assumed that she couldn't have developed cataracts in a few minutes. Luke and Nick were too confused to react immediately. The reanimated cadaver began hissing and reached for the doctor, snapping her teeth like a rabid dog.

"What the hell?!" Nick exclaimed.

 _ **| I thought you said she was dead?! |**_

| What the fuck is happening?! |

| Let's get the fuck out of here! |

| … |

"Hey! I thought you said she was dead?!" Luke shouted, confused. How in the world had this dead woman somehow come back to life?

"I could've sworn-" The doctor panicked. "She wasn't breathin', no pulse, no brain activity…" The corpse lunged for the doctor's midsection. It was unclear how whatever sort of monster it was suddenly mustered up sufficient force to get on top of the doctor. He was struggling to keep her from

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Nick pulled Luke close to him, trying to just get away from whatever the hell was going on, but Luke felt that he had to try something to help.

 _ **(O) Move equipment**_

"Nick, c'mon, get it together! Help me with this!" Luke tried to lift the old anesthetic machine off from the doctor.

"Y-yeah." Nick hurried to the other side of the medical equipment.

 _ **(Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (E)**_

Luke and Nick managed to free the doctor, but it was already too late. The woman was chomping away at his stomach, in some horrific form of cannibalism. The sight was absolutely gruesome, like something out of a horror movie or a traumatic nightmare. The doctor's corpse oozed out blood as she continued consuming his flesh, pulling out a gory intestine with her teeth.

 _ **| WHAT THE HELL?! |**_

| OH MY GOD! |

| FUCK! |

| ... |

"What the hell?! You see it too, right?!" Luke and Nick were both utterly horrified by the scene playing out in front of them.

Nick tugged at Luke's arm. "We can't just fuckin' stand here!"

Luke was not going to wait and become its next victim. Nope, he and Nick were most definitely not going to stick around.

"R-right. We'll get upstairs and get my folks, and then we'll get the hell outta whatever the hell this shit is! There's no time to screw around now!" Luke ordered. His voice always took a commanding tone when the situation called for it, and he was fortunate enough to have the ability to keep a level head easily.

Nick didn't respond, running down the hallway after Luke. They couldn't dilly-dally around and ask any questions. There might be time to piece everything together later, but definitely not anytime soon.

They were about to round the corner and make it back to the main building, when Luke noticed Nick freeze and turn around. Luke caught a quick glance over his shoulder to see what had stopped Nick. It seemed that they had left the door ajar, allowing the monster to exit the room. It began attacking the distracted officer, receiving help from the other one which they had left there, as the sheriff had foolishly removed the cart in an attempt to handcuff and neutralize it.

| Just keep running. |

 _ **| Don't look back. |**_

| Let's keep moving. |

| … |

"Jus… don't look back, man. Let's just focus on gettin' out of here," Luke grabbed his friend's hand again, dragging him upstairs.

"I know… It's just so fuckin' insane." Nick followed Luke back to the room where his parents and Caitlin would be.

At that moment, it didn't matter to Luke if any of the people in the hallway made it out. He just needed to evacuate Nick and his family the hell out of that hospital and get them someplace safe. He supposed that everybody could crash at Nick's home tonight, his mother and father included. He'd find a way to get his father out of the bed, even if it meant pushing the damn stretcher across town. There was no way that they could be staying here another night. Luke wasn't even sure if they could stay in town anymore. It was impossible to deny that something had changed now, and that it was everywhere. There would be no escaping the plague.


	10. Request

**EPISODE ONE:** _ **Anew Every Morning**_

 _Part 10: Request_

* * *

Luke swung open the door and burst into his father's hospital room, panting frantically. There was no time to explain it all to his parents or sister. They just needed to get the hell out of here and they could make sense of everything once they were safe. Nick had chased him down, and was waiting outside for Luke to retrieve his family and get everybody to safety.

John barely looked up at his son, his gray eyes half-opened. But Luke could at least make out a half-smile forming across his father's face.

He attempted in vain to recollect himself quickly and catch his breath again, but the shock and loss of adrenaline left him paralyzed, standing there. He was still hyperventilating and unable to speak, though his facial expression was probably enough to express that something terrible had occurred.

"Luke! You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you okay?" Luke's inability to respond and his still-rushed breaths helped Linda realize that something was horribly wrong. Her pupils dilated with fear. "Luke… what's happenin'?" Her voice sounded increasingly worried.

"Take a breath, son, 'n come out with it." John laughed dryly, as if he was amused by the situation or something and watching his son freak out internally. He would quickly realize that what Luke and Nick had just witnessed was no laughing matter by any means.

"Is… is it w-worse?" Caitlin stuttered, sounding panicked already. She was clearly on edge after Luke had told her about what they'd seen the first time. To address her concerns, it was most certainly worse now.

Luke took a deep breath and did his best to get his thoughts under control, but his mind was still plagued by terror and shock. When he thought that he could form a coherent sentence, he looked back up at his family.

| Something horrible is happening. |

| It's getting worse. |

 _ **| We have to leave now. |**_

| We just saw a cannibal kill and eat a person. |

"We… we have to leave right now, all right?" Luke replied. "There ain't time to explain it all right now, but I'll tell y'all everythin' that happened once we get someplace safe." He gulped. They had to trust him that it was urgent to leave and get the hell out of dodge. Luke didn't know if they had the luxury of waiting inside and letting him disclose all of the details. With what he'd seen so far, those monsters were absolutely ruthless and near-invincible, and it wouldn't be long before they would probably make their way to their wing of the building.

"What do you mean, leave?" Linda appeared confused. Although she didn't want to admit that John was on his last leg, she understood that it would be unlikely that they could get him out of the hospital, and she would refuse to leave him behind.

"We need to go, and right now. We can all stay safe at Nick's house tonight and in the meantime. And if it's necessary, we can find someplace else later. I just need y'all to trust me on this, all right?" Luke begged. He just needed his family to be safe. He'd made a promise to his father to protect them, and he was entirely determined to keep his word.

"Right. But how are we going to get daddy out of here?" Caitlin asked. Luke had no idea how to disconnect all of the medical equipment let alone ensure that his father made it out of the hospital. He hoped that he could come up with a plan, and soon.

"I'll try... t' figure somethin' out…" John's voice was still as scratchy and pained as it had sounded yesterday.

"Yeah." Luke didn't seem very confident about that.

Nick appeared in the doorway, looking even more uneasy than before. "Uh… don't mean to interrupt, but I think we might have to leave about now. I don't think they've exactly got it under control yet."

"Nick, dear, what do you mean it's not under control?" Linda didn't seem like she was aware of what was going on outside.

| Okay. We're coming. |

 _ **| Is it getting urgent? |**_

| Give us some time to figure this out. |

| … |

"Nick, is it gettin' urgent now? Are they comin' this way?" Luke was already pretty sure that there wasn't much time to screw around here.

"I t-think so." Nick shuffled around, clearly worried.

"What do you mean by 'are they comin'?' Luke, tell me what's goin' on." Linda crossed her arms. She was a complete sweetheart ninety-nine percent of the time, but she didn't refrain from being stern with her son when she thought it was necessary.

Luke sighed. It looks like she would demand that they explained themselves right now, despite the precarious situation they were all in. "All right… We were attacked by some crazy people over in the other wing. I don't want to go into detail about what happened, but it wasn't pretty, all right? I don't think they've been taken care of yet, so we need to find someplace safe soon, away from 'em until the sheriff or somebody deals with them."

"He's telling the truth. Luke already told me about what he and Nick saw," Caitlin defended her brother. Luke gulped, contemplating whether or not he should tell his sister the entire story of what they'd seen the second time they went back to check on the situation. She still didn't know about the horrifying murder and acts of cannibalism they'd witnessed.

"Pete just called me and said that he and mom were watchin' the news and a-apparently it's gettin' worse and turnin' into complete chaos over in the cities," Nick mentioned. They hadn't received any updates since yesterday, so it wasn't very reassuring to know that the situation hadn't improved back in Atlanta. And it seemed like whatever was going on in the city had spread here too, to a sleepy Tennessean town.

"All right, all right. We just need a way to get your father out of here…" Linda looked around, trying to think of something.

John began coughing violently, drawing everybody's attention back to him. "T-that won't be necessary."

Luke, Linda, Caitlin, and Nick all exchanged concerned glances with each other. What exactly did Luke's father mean by that?

"Honey, what are you saying?" Linda asked. The fear in her voice was evident.

"I l-love you a lot, Linda. I love our son and our little girl more than a-anythin'," John admitted. He wasn't usually a man who was willing to ever really express his emotions, which made his words a lot more impactful on Luke. John sighed. "You know I'm tryin', but I think this is it for me."

Linda shook her head, as her eyes quickly began to redden. "J-John… No. We can't…" Her brown eyes were swollen and the tears began to stream down her face. Caitlin gave her a gentle hug and Luke placed his hand on their mother's shoulder.

"Y'all have to… And have t' go soon. Jus'... Gimme some time to say goodbye to each of you," John requested. His solemn eyes looked up at Luke and Caitlin. "You kids mind givin' us a moment? Then I wanna talk to each of you both… alone."

Linda nodded slowly, rubbing away at her eyes. Although she didn't want to admit that she knew it was the end of the road for John, she understood what was happening. Luke, Caitlin, and Nick exited the room to give their parents their privacy. Hopefully they wouldn't take long, because they still had to get out of the hospital.

* * *

"Hey, uh… I'm sorry, guys." Nick rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what else to say to help the situation. He wasn't the best as offering comfort, though neither was Luke. The thought was really what counted.

"Yeah. Thanks, man." Luke gave his friend an appreciative smile.

"It's okay. He won't have to suffer anymore," Caitlin hoped. At least she was able to remain optimistic about what was happening to their father.

"You're right, Cait. He's gonna finally get a break for once, I guess," Luke said.

"Yeah… So, where's Christopher? Is he safe somewhere else?" Caitlin asked. Luke's eyes widened, realizing that neither of them had stopped to check for the kid in the chaotic situation. Could she blame them for panicking and freaking out, though? If she knew what they had just been through, she might not blame them for their neglect.

"Shit. I mean - sorry," Nick apologized.

"W-what?" Caitlin seemed horrified that they would even consider leaving a child unattended with everything that was going on.

Luke stammered. "I'm sorry, Cait. We were panickin', I guess, and we didn't go back to check on him before we made it up here-"

"-I'll go make sure he's okay," Nick offered. Both Luke and Caitlin appeared surprised at that. They didn't think that he would be the one to step up and try to save the child.

| Okay. Go make sure he's fine. |

 _ **| I can go. |**_

"Hey, I can go. Don't worry, Nick." Luke touched his friend's shoulder.

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

"C'mon, Luke. Just... give me a chance to do somethin'. You stood up for me back there, and I honestly really wanna prove that I'm not as screwed up 'n useless as they think I am." Nick reassured, "I'll be fine."

Luke realized that there was no arguing with Nick right now. He fully understood that he really just wanted to prove to himself and his family that he was worth something. At least he already felt secure that Luke would always believe in him. "All right. Just make sure to come back to us quick. And bring Chris with you so we can go find his daddy afterwards, obviously."

"You got it." Nick smiled brightly and ran downstairs to find Chris.

Caitlin looked up at her older brother and gave him a sad smile. "It's okay. I know that you two must have been really scared and stressed out right now. And I think it's really really nice how much you two can trust each other."

"Hey, that's what friends are for. You gotta trust and believe in each other, you know?" Luke grinned.

"I guess so." Caitlin gestured towards the door, where Linda was exiting. "I guess I'll talk with daddy right now." She gave their mother a tight hug and shut the door behind her.

* * *

Linda sat down on one of the plastic chairs in the hallway. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, trying to soak up the remaining teardrops. Her expression seemed so distant, as if she wasn't really even there anymore. Luke understood that his parents had loved each other very much, and it was probably destroying his mother to know that John would have to be moving on prematurely. Not only that, he had asked them to actually leave him in the hospital, while they escaped and found someplace safe.

Luke took a seat next to his mother, hoping to provide some comfort to her.

"I… I didn't want us to have to say goodbye like this, Luke. I can't believe we're doin' this, dear. Leavin' him like this..." The guilt of seemingly abandoning John in his last hours was probably eating Linda alive.

| He won't have to be in pain anymore. |

| It was his last request. |

 _ **| He would want us to be strong. |**_

| … |

"Uh… I know it's real hard to do this, but he would've wanted us to be strong," Luke tried to encourage her. "We all gotta remember that 'n keep his wishes in mind."

 _ **(?) Linda will remember that.**_

"Luke, I know you're right. It doesn't make it any easier doin' this, though." Linda sighed. "I mean, what if there was still a chance out there that he wouldn't have to move on this early? I'm just thinking about all of the things that he won't be here for in person. I know he'll be watchin' over us, but how am I supposed to ever forgive myself for… abandonin' him right now?"

"We're not… abandonin' him. If anythin', we're all bein' here for him by doin' what he wants for him and us," Luke tried to reason.

"I know, Luke." Linda kept her gaze fixed on her lap, probably still thinking too much about everything.

* * *

Nick returned, with Chris following him intently. Luke breathed a sigh of relief to know that the kid was safe and okay. But upon closer inspection, Luke realized that Chris seemed frightened by something, and he hid behind Nick's leg, grabbing Nick with his good arm. Luke wasn't sure if they would be able to take the cast off his other arm by themselves once it was fully healed.

"Hey. You two made it." Luke gave his friend a warm smile.

"Yeah. But we almost got jumped by one of those… guys when we were leavin' his room. He's pretty damn scared right now, if you can't tell," Nick explained. Chris refused to say anything, probably still in shock.

 _ **| Is it not clearing up yet? |**_

| What's going on now? |

| Do you think it'll be fine? |

| … |

"So, is the situation not clearin' up yet?" Luke asked.

"No, I don't think so," Nick said. "Some more people came in to help, but it's not goin' well. It's like they're fuckin' invincible or something, man. They just don't give up. You were right about gettin' the hell outta here. I don't wanna wait around 'till those guys make it up the stairs."

"Me too. We'll find a way out pretty soon, though." Luke turned to Chris. "Hey. Don't worry, kiddo. It'll be okay."

Chris nodded, but didn't respond.

* * *

After a while, Caitlin opened the door and sat down next to Linda, signaling to Luke that he should go talk to their father.

 _ **(O) Open door**_

Luke took a deep breath and entered his father's room. John looked peaceful for the first time in years, like he knew that he could finally get some rest after what Luke knew had been an undoubtedly difficult life for him. Growing up in poverty to harsh parents, it certainly hadn't been easy for John to make a name for himself and find remote success. He definitely understood the value of hard work, and how challenging life could be at times.

"Hey, son. I guess this is it." John's pale lips curled into the most genuine of smiles Luke had ever seen before.

"Y-yeah. It is." Luke sat down at his father's bedside. He took the glass of water and let John drink, to clear his throat.

"I really don't got much to say, Luke. I just 'ppreciate you... makin' sure that you'll look out for your m-mother and your sister. I know it's a gonna be a tough responsibility, and it sure as hell ain't ever gonna be easy... 'specially given the circumstances." John seemed so different now than from when Luke had last seen him two years ago. He was calm and humble on his deathbed.

| Don't worry; I'll keep them safe. |

 _ **| I know it'll be hard, but I'll do my best. |**_

| I'm not sure if I'm ready. |

| … |

"I know that it'll be hard, but I'll do my best to keep 'em safe," Luke reassured.

 _ **(?) John appreciates that.**_

"Trust me, son... I know you'll do everythin' in your power to protect 'em. I already told ya this yesterday, but that's just the burden we carry as men. To keep the people close to us safe and sound. And sometimes, that just means there ain't time to think about ourselves," John explained. "I know that somethin's changin', and it's in times like these that you realize what's really important to you, son. For me, that was keepin' all three of you safe. I just hope you'll continue with that... I know your mother and sister are gonna insist that they're fine, but you gotta make sure they know that you'll always be there for 'em."

"I understand, dad. I'll try my best, no doubt about it." Luke smiled.

"Ya told me that already." John tried his best to laugh for what would be the last time.

"Is there... anythin' else you need?" Luke asked.

John sighed. "Luke, I know that somethin' in the world's changin', and it ain't gonna be pretty. I know that it would break your mother or your sister for me to ask 'em this, and I wouldn't ask you to do this either if things were different right now, but I'd appreciate it if you helped me out one last time. I'm real tired... I'd do it myself, but I can't e-even feel anythin' or move my bones anymore... Do you get what I'm sayin'?"

"Yeah… I do." Luke didn't know if he could really bring himself to do this. But he felt obligated to fulfill his father's final request.

John craned his head to the left, and Luke could hear his weakened bones cracking. "See that lever right there? All you gotta do is turn it up a bit…"

* * *

 _ **[ ACCEPT ]**_

[ REFUSE ]

* * *

"All… all right." Luke didn't really know what else to say. But he was strong enough to prevent himself from showing any sign of hesitation or weakness in front of his dying father, if only to reassure John that he would be capable of taking care of his family once he was gone. He pulled up the lever like John had told him to, and sat back down, waiting for what his father's last words would be.

"T-thanks, son. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." John coughed.

"There ain't nothin' to be sorry for, dad."

"Just… take care of them, all right? I love you, Luke… And I... I know I d-didn't make it clear back then... but I'm actually real proud of you for chasin' after the things ya dreamt about 'n wanted."

"Yeah... I love you too."

And he closed his eyes.


	11. Dawn

**Author's Note: _Here's the last chapter for the first episode of the story! Y'all have no idea how happy I am to have gotten this far and how much your support means to me. Stay tuned for Episode Two and my revised plans for the story. I would definitely listen to "Obstacles" by Syd Matters for the last scene._**

* * *

 **EPISODE ONE:** _ **Anew Every Morning**_

 _Part 11: Dawn_

* * *

Luke was sitting at Nick's desk and staring out at the moonlit fields outside his window aimlessly. He had attempted to continue working on the drawing of him and Nick from yesterday to finish fleshing out the details and shading, but he found it immensely difficult to concentrate. His mind was still foggy and blurred from the events of that day. Thankfully, they had all somehow made it back to Nick's home safely, with the exception of John, of course. Luke was still trying to process everything that had happened, and the scene of him putting his father out of his misery was replaying over and over in his head.

Nick was laying down on his bed, next to Luke. Neither of them had really said much else that day, as they understood that they probably both needed some space to sort things out after the insane day they'd had. The same went for Linda and Caitlin. Sharon and Pete had offered them all the comfort they could, but one could only do so much for a friend this early after losing a husband or a father, especially considering how John had actually requested that they leave him behind amidst the chaos at the hospital.

The dark-haired man was the first one to speak. "Uh… it's gettin' late," Nick mentioned flatly, yawning. He had probably only remained awake until now to provide any consolation that he possibly could to Luke.

"Yeah," Luke responded simply, catching a quick glance of Nick's clock. It was nearing eleven, so he decided that his friend was probably right about it being time to go sleep. Even though they would pull all-nighters all the time as teenagers, they were both certainly too exhausted today. He rose from the chair and slipped the dark jeans off, laying down next to his friend. Neither of them closed their eyes, though, keeping their gazes fixed on the ceiling

They both realized that neither of them was actually asleep. After another long silence, Nick said, "Guess there's a lot on both our minds right now?"

| I'm fine. |

 _ **| Just thinking too much. |**_

| I'm not sure if I'm okay. |

| … |

"Y'know… Just thinkin' too much, Nick." Luke supposed that was the truth. He couldn't just shrug off his father's death that morning like that, could he? He didn't think that his mind would clear up for at least a while after the traumatic experiences they'd had. Aside from John's request, they had also both been there and witnessed the horrific sight of whatever those monsters were actually getting ahold of their victim and brutally tearing them apart.

"I guess I am too. I mean, that was… I don't wanna think about it, I guess." Nick rolled over onto his side, looking directly at Luke.

"I get you. That was… messed up." Luke turned around and faced Nick.

"You finally decide to come home after two years of draggin' me around Atlanta and now all of this absolutely fucking insane stuff is goin' on everywhere... I don't know if the big cities are gonna last much longer, with the things me 'n Pete saw earlier on the news," Nick worried.

 _ **| What's going on? |**_

| I think it'll be okay eventually. |

"I haven't kept up since yesterday. You know what's goin' on over there?" Luke asked. Obviously, he was extremely concerned at this point.

"It's absolute fuckin' chaos, that's what's goin' on. People goin' ballistic and eating each other, like we saw today. And the people that aren't insane cannibals are losin' it and doin' anything to survive." Nick sighed, his expression quickly turning visibly worried. "Nobody's got a damn explanation for any of this shit yet."

"So you think it's even worse than here? I mean, you heard how they had t' open fire on 'em as we were leavin' the hospital just to get them to stop… And that was only after they either killed or injured a good amount of people." Luke shuddered, recalling the gunshots which rang in the air as he, Nick, Linda, and Caitlin were escaping the hospital. But he supposed it must have been necessary to stop the vicious cannibals.

"Definitely worse. And that's sayin' somethin', obviously. The shit they were showin' on the news before I came up here was probably twice as bad as the things we saw this mornin'. At least the people around here ain't gone mad yet out of desperation," Nick stated.

 _ **| I don't think people here would turn on each other. |**_

| I can't believe how desperate they sound. |

| I don't know if we can trust the people here anymore. |

| … |

"Yeah. Knowin' the folk that live here, I doubt that they'd turn on each other like that." Luke tried to sound reassuring, and he genuinely believed that the people of their hometown wouldn't end up stabbing each other in the back, but he found it difficult to sound confident given the circumstances.

"I hope so." Nick looked away for a second.

"I mean it… I guess it's one of the benefits of bein' home that everybody here knows each other. I imagine somebody'd feel a hell of a lot of remorse and guilt if they stabbed somebody in the back when they know all those small details about 'em," Luke tried to reason. It made sense that Clevesville's population couldn't end up betraying each other when there really was such a tight-knit and close sense of community present.

"Suppose you're right…" Nick changed the subject after a while. "Hey, uh, when you came outta the hospital room, you looked real out of it. I dunno if it's too early, but if you needa talk…" His eyes widened as he began to think that he had asked far too soon about Luke's father.

| I'm fine, don't worry about me. |

| I'm still trying to process everything. |

 _ **| He asked me to put him out of his misery. |**_

| … |

Luke sighed. He supposed that he would probably end up having to tell somebody eventually anyways. "Nick… He asked me to put him out of his misery by givin' him an overdose, 'cause he was convinced there wasn't a chance that he'd be gettin' any better or makin' it outta that hospital alive anyways."

Nick's expression was shocked. "Fuck. I'm sorry, man. I didn't know - I really don't know what to say… Did you…?"

"Yeah, I did," Luke said. "I did it because I knew that he'd just been sufferin' this entire time, and I guess that maybe I felt like I should make it up to him for not always bein' the best son I could've been by fulfillin' his last request."

"Just keep in mind that you really don't have t' pretend like you're fine if you're not."

"I dunno… I'm not sure about right now, but I'll be fine eventually, Nick," Luke reassured. "As long as he doesn't have to deal with all the pain anymore."

"I guess so. I just can't imagine how horrible that must've been for you, man. I mean, I know that we don't get along too good most of the time, but I really don't think I'd be able to bring myself to do somethin' like that to Pete or mom," Nick worried. Luke sincerely hoped that it would never come to that. He couldn't really know how badly Nick would react if something went terribly wrong and he was forced to euthanize Pete or Sharon like he had done that morning to his father.

"Yeah… It was hard," Luke admitted. "But thanks for bein' here."

"Don't mention it." Nick yawned.

Luke rolled over so that he was facing the dirty ceiling again. "We really oughta get some sleep after today…" He wasn't sure if he would be able to sleep tonight, though.

"Yeah… G'night." Nick shut his eyes.

"Night." Luke couldn't help but notice Nick scooting even closer to him. He didn't mind, though, or mention it. He appreciated Nick's company and closeness. After a while, he could hear Nick snoring. At least one of them was able to get some rest.

Eventually, Luke was able to drift off to sleep too.

* * *

Luke was suddenly jolted awake by a violent shaking. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and saw Nick next to him, hyperventilating. His blue eyes were dilated and his facial expression made his fear evident.

| Are you okay? |

| What happened? |

 _ **| It's just a bad dream. |**_

| … |

"Hey… It's just a bad dream." Luke sat up and turned around so that Nick could see that it was him.

"Fuck, sorry… I didn't mean to wake you up." Nick placed a hand on his head and calmed himself down.

"It's fine. You feelin' okay now?" Luke asked, moving closer to Nick.

"Yeah, I just… I had some stupid nightmare that you were one of those things," Nick admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. Luke was thankful that he hadn't had any bad dreams himself. Though it wasn't like he could even remember the things he dreamt about often, anyways. While that annoyed him at times, he was thankful for that tonight. He definitely did not want to relive the events of that day again or have nightmares about Nick hurting him, like Nick had apparently just dreamt about.

"Oh. Well, it's okay now, Nick. I'm still here, all right?" Luke placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Nick smiled gently. "I know. I'm fine now. Just got a bit startled by that nightmare, I guess." He looked over at his clock. It was 4:47, and it was still dark outside. "Looks like it's gonna be mornin' soon anyways."

"I remember when we'd stay up all night just to watch the sunrise when we didn't have anythin' much to do the next day." Luke laughed, recalling the simpler times when they had been dumb teenagers with what they felt was all the time in the world.

"It was fun screwin' around by playin' video games and talkin' all night, even if both our folks always got pissed." Nick grinned and got up out of the bed. He was looking around his room, though Luke wasn't sure exactly what his friend was up to now. "You know, maybe we just need somethin' to get our minds off of what happened yesterday," Nick suggested.

"Yeah? What're you thinkin' about?" Luke wondered what there could be – aside from alcohol, obviously – that could distract them from their thoughts.

"I mean, maybe we could just go outside and get some air or somethin'. I dunno." Nick chuckled lightly. "And I guess we can bring what's left of that bottle with us."

"That sounds like it'd be nice. I guess we could use a little mornin' stroll to try and forget about things for a bit." Luke smiled.

"We've got more than enough gas to make it to and back from the mountains up there. Aside from the tower we climbed up two days ago, the best view around is definitely at the cliff at the end of that trail where Pete used to take us huntin'," Nick said.

"Sounds good to me. I remember we'd used to go there a lot back in high school." Luke pulled up his jeans and pulled on a loose gray sweater. Although it was July, the mornings still tended to be barely cool enough to warrant long sleeves. Linda had made a stop back at their home and brought some of Luke's and Caitlin's clothing back to Nick's home.

"Yeah. It was the only place where we could really be alone… And our folks won't mind. We'll be back before they know it." Nick pushed away some of the clutter in room and unlocked the hinges on his bedroom window and lifted it up.

Luke laughed, amused. "Are we really gonna sneak out the window like teenagers again?"

"Why not? Can't we just pretend like we're still in high school and none of this shit is happenin' for an hour?" Nick's teeth were visible in a bright smile. As long as Nick was happy, Luke didn't really mind getting in silly trouble and doing stupid things with him.

"All right. You got me. Let's head up there, then." Luke grabbed the half-full bottle as he waited for Nick to make his way down. Then he threw the whiskey over to Nick and climbed down onto the yard, making his way to their old car.

* * *

"C'mon, man! It ain't much further." Nick was waiting for Luke at the top of the cliff. Although it was maybe two miles from the dirt road at the base of the Appalachians to their destination, it was rather steep.

"I know… Just enjoyin' the scenery. The woods look nice in this pre-dawn lightin', you know?" That was Luke's excuse for lagging behind.

As he made his way up, Luke looked around the forest. Everything was calm and peaceful in the early morning, and he could make out the faint sliver of light at the crest of the mountains above them between the trees.

 _ **(O) Look at stump**_

Just before the edge of the cliff where Nick was already seated at the bench, was a carving which said _Luke and Nick - Best friends since 1986._

Luke recalled, "I remember etchin' that into the stump sometime we were in high school. We'd come up into the woods a lot durin' junior and senior year when we just needed some space to get away from our parents. I'd give anythin' to go back and relive those memories again... Heck, it'd be amazin' if I could go all the way back to 1986 and meet Nick for the first time all over again..."

 _ **(O) Sit down**_

Luke took a seat next to Nick on the bench, looking out over the dim fields and their hometown.

"You still remember this place, right? We'd come up here all the time back in high school… And I know ya brought like three different girls over here to watch the sunset with 'em." Nick laughed, recalling Luke's many unsuccessful relationships with girls. "Kinda cheap to use the same place to go on a date over and over, if you ask me."

"Of course I remember our cliff… And can you blame me for that? I mean, it ain't like there's that many unique places to see around here or take a girl on a date to, much as I am glad to be back." Luke chuckled. "We also came up here a lot. You sayin' that's cheap of us?"

"Well… no? 'Cause we were just hangin' out and it wasn't a date?" Nick laughed.

"I bet you wish it was," Luke teased.

"As if, Mr. Wannabe Playboy... Who also can't make a relationship last longer than two months." Nick smirked. "I'm not sure how ya always even manage to just find some new girl who's willin' to go on a date with you every Friday."

 _ **| It's called being a gentleman. |**_

| Are you jealous? |

| I'm not a player. |

| … |

"Nick, it's called bein' a gentleman. Long as you treat a girl right from the start, she's usually pretty open to at least goin' out on one date with you to see whether or not somethin' might work between you two," Luke explained, laughing. He supposed that was how he had been able to pursue as many girls as he had. Linda and John had certainly taught their son the proper way to treat a lady.

"Yeah, 'cause goin' after a new girl and askin' her out immediately after the old one breaks up with you is so respectable and gentlemanly." Nick raised an eyebrow jokingly.

| Maybe you've got a point. |

 _ **| No point in moping around after a breakup. |**_

| Nothing wrong with that. |

| … |

"Hey, there's no point in me mopin' around after somebody breaks up with me, is there? Might as well move on 'n try to see if I can find somebody new who's willin' to deal with all my bullshit, aside from you, of course," Luke said.

"I think we might be the only ones who can deal with each other's shit all the time." Nick turned to his right and looked into Luke's eyes.

Luke grinned back at Nick. "You're probably right. I guess that's why we've always been there for each other."

"Yeah…" Nick moved closer to Luke. "Are you feelin' better after yesterday, anyways?"

| I think so. |

 _ **| I still feel guilty. |**_

| I don't think I feel good about it. |

| … |

"I guess so, but I still feel guilty for everythin'," Luke admitted. He honestly didn't really want to talk about it again.

"You know, you really don't have to go on blamin' yourself for not bein' around. I mean, there's no changin' it now, anyways." Nick put a rough hand on Luke's arm.

"I know that it's impossible to go back and make things right with him… I just wish I hadn't made those mistakes," Luke lamented.

"At least you decided to come back willingly, 'cause you know that I'd drag your ass home once I saw those texts from your sister, whether you'd like it or not." Nick laughed, trying to lighten the mood at least a bit.

Luke chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah. I mean, I guess I couldn't come up with any more excuses to put off comin' back home, considerin' how we'd just closed up shop back in Atlanta."

"If I'm honest, I guess I had fun," Nick confessed. Luke already knew that, though.

"You sure spent a lot of time complainin' 'bout things and how I was runnin' the business, but it was always pretty obvious to me that deep down, you were enjoyin' yourself," Luke teased, smirking and nudging his friend.

"You always knew how to have a good time." Nick smiled. "Even if it meant drivin' us to bankruptcy."

"It's what I do best, Nick." Luke wrapped an arm around his friend, gazing off into the distance. "What's the point of life if we don't get a chance to enjoy ourselves?"

"I guess there ain't a point, then." Nick leaned his head against Luke's shoulder. He wouldn't dare express his closeness with his friend like that unless it was just the two of them.

The sun had finally come out after a few minutes, and it cast a soft pink-orange haze over the town, although it was behind them. Of course, it rose in the east, from behind the mountain peaks. That was why Luke had always come out for the sunset, as the blazing sphere was also visible then from the bench.

"Now that I think about it, we've never been here for the sunrise," Luke mentioned. There was something still beautiful about the gentle morning light which distinguished it from the sunset they had seen many times before. Of course it would be now that they had decided to come to that cliff and experience an entirely different view from before.

"Yeah… It's nice, ain't it?" Nick said. "Feels almost like the start of somethin' new."

Luke sighed. "I know that it is. Everythin' is changin' so fast. But I guess this is just a new adventure for the two of us, right?"

"Definitely. Do you think that, maybe, things'll get figured out and back to normal?" Nick asked.

"I don't know, Nick. But no matter what happens or how bad things become, just remember I'll always be here for you. Always," Luke reassured.

"You know I'll do the same. I mean, we haven't been best friends for this long for nothin'."

"Exactly. And as long as that doesn't change, we'll make it."


	12. Episode One Choices

**Author's Note: _Some revisions of the first episode have occurred, and the characters may mention scenes that have been significantly edited since the first draft in future chapters. It's not necessary to reread the updated versions of Anew Every Morning's chapters, but I would recommend it, also as a way to refresh your brain._**

* * *

 **IMPORTANT CHOICES: _Anew Every Morning_**

* * *

 **HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS:**

 _ **You agreed to willingly visit your hometown - 87%**_

Nick obligated you to come - 13%

* * *

 **JUST LIKE OLD TIMES:**

 _ **You jumped rooftops with Nick - 58%**_

You didn't jump rooftops with Nick - 44%

* * *

 **FAMILY FEUD:**

 _ **You sided with Nick - 59%**_

You sided with Pete and Sharon - 41%

* * *

 **SHELTERING:**

 ** _You told Caitlin the truth - 84%_**

You comforted Caitlin - 16%

* * *

 **HIS FINAL HOUR:**

 _ **You put John out of his misery - 72%**_

You refused John's request - 28%

* * *

 **Minor Choices:**

* * *

You answered Caitlin's call - 48%

 _ **You didn't answer Caitlin's call initially - 52%**_

* * *

 _ **You visited the diner with Nick - 67%**_

You did not visit the diner with Nick - 33%

* * *

 _ **You sketched a drawing on the rooftop - 45%**_

You did not make a drawing - 55%

* * *

 _ **You promised John you would protect your family - 93%**_

You didn't promise John - 7%

* * *

 _ **You volunteered with Caitlin at the hospital - 66%**_

You didn't help Caitlin and met up with your family later - 34%

* * *

 **Next time on The Walking Dead: Just Keep Smilin'...**

 _"This has been real hard on everybody..."_

 _"We all have to have each other's backs from now on."_

 _"She's just as capable as any of us. She deserves to know the truth."_

 _"That would just come to bite us in the end."_

 _"Everything's changin' so fast. I don't like it."_

 _"We're not leavin' until we've properly said goodbye. Who's to say it won't be figured out soon enough?"_

 _"Was he shot?"_

 _"You look good in all black."_

 _"Trust me, I can do this, Luke. You don't have to."_


	13. EPISODE TWO: The Prodigal Son

**EPISODE TWO:** _ **The Prodigal Son**_

 _Part 1: Aftermath_

* * *

In the aftermath of John's death, the mood surrounding Luke and his family had been tense and somber. Nobody understood yet what was happening, and the recent death of Luke's father did not make matters easier. Luke did not know if he could tell anybody else, aside from Nick, about the things his father had told him, and the difficult decision he had to make in that hospital. There had been no plausible choice but to leave him there with all of the chaos and confusion, but Luke hadn't expected his father to ask him to end his life. It was still replaying over and over in his dreams, along with old memories he had of John.

There were still no answers as to what was going on, though.

Luke, Caitlin, and their mother Linda were in Nick's home that morning. They all needed the support and help of Nick's family. Between preparations for the funeral, meeting with a few old friends and relatives, and the mystery of whatever those monsters were, things were hectic.

Luke was sitting next to Linda, Pete, and Sharon in the living room. Nick and Caitlin would have been upstairs.

"I know I keep sayin' this, but thank you two and Nick so much for all the help. Y'all have been such a blessing to us in these times," Linda said with gratitude.

"It's the least we can do. I know this has been real hard on everybody, but especially so on you three," Pete responded. "We'll do the best we can t' offer y'all support."

"Of course, Linda. We all have to stick together and have each other's backs, especially given the circumstances at the moment." Sharon placed a hand on Linda's shoulder. They weren't the most intimate of friends like their sons were, but the two mothers did get along well and spent a lot of time together, mainly due to Luke and Nick's friendship.

"It's just so stressful, tryin' to get everything organized… Luke, I haven't even really asked you or your sister how you're doin' lately." Linda looked back at her son.

 _ **| I'm doing the best I can. |**_

| It's difficult. |

| I don't know. |

| … |

"I'm doin' the best I can, mom," Luke reassured. He offered his mother a warm smile to convince her that he was fine.

Linda sighed. "I know, Luke. I guess we all are tryin' to make the best of the situation."

"Good thing we're all still in this together. A cousin called us sayin' that leavin' for the evacuation centers in the big cities like a lotta people here did would've been a mistake," Pete mentioned. "The situation's gotten completely outta hand over there, from what I've heard. Bush and the government 'n military claim that they're tryin' to get the situation under control, but it ain't true. Those Yankees 'n city people've gone completely mad and everything's on lockdown now. I mean, the sheriff over here's even had t' put half of main street under quarantine."

"I haven't been payin' much attention," Luke admitted, "But things just keep gettin' more serious and urgent."

"Exactly. I'm worried we might have to leave town until things're sorted out." Pete looked down.

Linda rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath. "Pete, we can't leave, at least not until we've properly said goodbye," she insisted. "Who's to say it won't be figured out soon and things will get back to normal?"

 _ **| Have we figured anything out? |**_

| We need to keep investigating. |

Luke asked, "Have we figured anythin' out? I mean, with the stuff that happened at the hospital and in the cities. Maybe we can come up with some sorta plan."

Sharon nodded. "From what people've gathered so far, bein' attacked by one of those madmen gets you extremely sick, and then you develop the same symptoms 'n try to hurt other people too. It's some sort of messed-up disease like rabies or somethin', from my limited understanding," she explained.

"It's worse than that." Pete frowned. "We all saw those pictures they took of how badly people'd gotten beat up at the hospital and that girl with her stomach ripped open. Along with the news reports of how much worse it is in other places... Y'all already know I'm startin' t' doubt this is gonna be somethin' which'll just be fixed right away."

"Yeah," Luke agreed with Pete. "But I'm confident that we'll get through it."

"Y'know, I'm willin' to bet this is somethin' like 9/11 that the government's tryin' to set up, designin' a biological weapon like this... It started over in Atlanta, where the CDC is, right?" Pete folded his arms. "It'd be just another chance for them t' keep on takin' away our rights," he grumbled.

 _ **| I really don't know how this would've started. |**_

| That could be possible. |

| Do you really think this is some conspiracy? |

| … |

"I… really don't know what t' think about that. This could've been started by anything," Luke responded.

"Well, whatever's causin' it, it's gettin' completely out of hand," Sharon said.

"Right," Linda replied dully. She waited a moment before changing the subject. "Your sister told me that you explained to her everythin' that you and Nick saw in Atlanta and at the hospital," she mentioned.

Pete raised an eyebrow. "And? Cait's just as capable as of us with handlin' this situation," he defended. "The girl's gotta learn sometime."

 _ **| She needs to know what's happening. |**_

| Maybe she doesn't need to know everything… |

"She needs to know what's goin' on, mom," Luke explained. "And who's to say she wouldn't do her own research anyways? She deserves to be aware of the truth."

 _ **(?) They will remember that.**_

"Exactly. There ain't any point in hidin' things from her. That'd just come to bite us in the end someday." Pete smiled.

"I know, Pete, but she's still a young girl, as mature as she acts. It was only her fourteenth birthday last month. What happened to… John… That must be already hard enough on her." Linda frowned. "I just think she doesn't need any more things to fret over."

"She's a strong girl, Linda. She's handlin' everythin' well," Pete reassured.

 _ **| She's been doing a lot better recently. |**_

| I'm not sure about that. |

"Yeah. She's been doin' a lot better. She was real scared at first, when I explained everythin' to her in the hospital a few days ago, but she's managin' well now. If I'm honest, I guess she might be doin' better than I am right now," Luke admitted.

He was still unsure of how to really feel after what had happened with John. Caitlin hadn't been forced to make a decision like that, and Luke was confident that she actually was dealing with the situation well. She was still smiling and keeping an optimistic attitude about the situation.

"I guess you're right, Luke. I just hope she stays that way," Linda said, sighing. "Maybe you should go check on her and Nick... Nick's parents and I need to finish organizin' everything for your father. There's still so much for us to get settled."

"Yeah… Good call." Luke got up from his seat and left to find Nick and Caitlin, though he supposed he could also look around Nick's home for a bit.

* * *

While he'd spent the majority of the past five days in Nick's home by now, Luke had not had the time to fully explore everything again with everything that was happening. He didn't want to seem so invasive, but he had never been able to contain his curiosity.

 _ **(O) Look at family portrait**_

"I can only imagine how pissed off Nick must've been there. Poor kid." Luke chuckled.

Nick had probably been around ten or eleven years old in that photograph, and he looked so irritated at being made to dress up in a button-down shirt for a portrait with Sharon, Pete, and a few other relatives.

 _ **(O) Look at bookshelf**_

Luke mentioned, "There's some more pictures of Nick, along with a few cookbooks, old textbooks, and some of the novels I know Pete liked. Caitlin would probably love to read all of these too. Nick, not so much… But I guess we can keep ourselves occupied with them if there ain't anything else to do."

He walked over to the other side of the living room.

 _ **(O) Look at graduation portrait**_

"And… that's us graduatin' from high school. Nick genuinely looks happy in it. By that, I mean he was real excited that the long ceremony was finally over and he was free from school for the summer," Luke recalled, laughing.

There was probably more to reminisce on, but Luke decided he could wait and browse through Sharon's old photo albums later. As he was about to go upstairs, he caught on to the conversation Linda and Nick's parents were having in the other room.

* * *

"I swear, Pete, I can do this. Don't worry about me," Linda was saying.

"Honey, please, it's already bad enough what you said y'all had to do," Sharon said.

Pete insisted, "It ain't right for a wife t' have to give a speech like that for her husband. Just let one of us do it."

"No. It's how I want to make it up to him. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself for what happened... " Linda sighed. "I haven't told the kids this yet, but when I was at the funeral home yesterday gettin' the visitation organized, I noticed that John had two bullet wounds in the side of his head. I asked them what h-happened, and they told me that he must've gotten... s-shot between the time we left and after the sheriff was able… to recover his body."

Luke's eyes shot open as he continued listening to their conversation. He really didn't know what to think.

"Jesus… I don't know what to say," Pete said.

Linda was crying now. "The man told me that John must have been a-attacked by one of those madmen and gotten sick like the rest of them… And that it would've been to prevent him and all of the other people there who got attacked from hurtin' anybody else. He explained it all to me-"

Luke realized that they had all noticed him eavesdropping.

"L-Luke?!" Linda turned around frantically, her eyes red and the tears streaming down her face. "I didn't… I didn't want you t' hear that…" Pete and Sharon tried their best to help Luke comfort her, but Luke signaled them to give him and Linda their privacy. He needed to explain everything to his mother separately.

"Mom… He didn't suffer." Luke wrapped his arms around Linda, who was still crying.

"Luke… what are you sayin'? What happened in there?" Linda wiped away at her tear-ridden face with her sleeve and looked directly into Luke's eyes.

 _ **| I had to end his life. |**_

| He's in a better place now. |

He would have to tell Linda the truth about what happened to John. There was no other option. He couldn't let his mother go blaming herself and thinking that John had suffered and been murdered by the monsters, when that wasn't true.

Luke explained, "I had to make a terrible decision, mom… But I p-put him out of his misery before they could get to him and hurt him. He didn't feel any pain," he reassured. "He asked me to end his life… and I did. I couldn't let him keep goin' like that. I couldn't bear the thought of him havin' to deal with any more pain…"

 _ **(?) Linda will remember that.**_

"Oh my goodness… That must have been awful for you, Luke. I'm… I can't believe you had to do that…"

"It was the only option I had… I know we left him, but I couldn't just leave him there like that," Luke said.

Linda wrapped her arms around her son for a long moment. "Now I have to do this. I need to be the one."

* * *

 _ **[ I CAN DO IT ]**_

[ YOU CAN DO IT ]

[ YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT ]

* * *

"I can do it," Luke insisted.

Linda shook her head. "Luke… you've had to make such a hard decision already. There is no way that I'll let you deliver the speech at your own father's funeral… Trust me, I can do this."

"Mom… You know how much it would mean to me if I could make up for everythin' I've done. I know that I haven't been the best son to you or dad, but I want to change that from now on. I need to make things right again. And I'll start by bein' the one to give dad the goodbye he deserves," Luke stated affirmatively.

"I can't believe you'd actually… Okay. There's no arguin' with you, is there?" Linda knew that her son could be stubborn when he was completely determined to do something.

"I'll be okay, mom. Trust me."

Luke pulled Linda into another close hug.


	14. Reflection

**EPISODE TWO:** _ **The Prodigal Son**_

 _Part 2: Reflection_

* * *

The next few days passed by quickly for Luke. It had been exactly a week now since the plague began, but between preparations for John's ceremony and ensuring that everybody was fine, there had been little time for Luke and his family to be concerned with the outside world.

Thankfully, Nick's family had continued to offer them support and protection and had kept them up to date on what was happening outside of their sleepy little town. At least, until the last news channel went off-air yesterday and the only remaining radio stations were fuzzy and unreliable at best. There was no longer any way to know for certain just how things were outside of their town, and neither Luke nor anybody around him understood how everything could have gone so terribly wrong over the course of a week.

One of the last intelligible radio reports had explained to Luke and the dwindling population of Clevesville that the only way to prevent the further spread of the plague was to destroy the brain of any infected individuals, or those who were suspected of being infected.

It was now clear to Luke that the issue at the hospital had been entirely mismanaged. The victims had been offered refuge and medical attention after the events of that day, but that only allowed them to attack more unsuspecting people once the incurable disease had finished off with them. Thankfully, the radio broadcaster had finally explained the workings of the main infection, but it had been only after far too many deaths. There were still several missing links, too. Why had that patient suddenly developed the illness when nobody in Clevesville was attacked prior to that day? And why did people who were thought already-dead also coming back and finding new victims?

Neither Luke nor Nick knew the answers yet to those questions. With the hospital effectively closed now, and half of the town under quarantine, it seemed like it was up to them to figure this out.

* * *

But that would have to wait for tomorrow, because today was the day of John's funeral. Linda had wanted the service to be earlier, but the overwhelmed preacher had been completely booked.

Luke was in Nick's room that morning, as had been usual the past week. They were preparing themselves for the brief service which would be held soon. Both men wore loose dark sweaters and jeans as the weather was terribly hot. Also, Nick would have protested at having to dress up any more than they already were.

"You look good in black," Nick mentioned, smiling gently. Luke couldn't help but notice the faint blush on his friend's face.

| You look good too. |

| Yeah, thanks. |

 _ **| Are you checking me out? |**_

| … |

"What? Are you checkin' me out now, Nick?" Luke teased, laughing dully.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Nick rolled his eyes jokingly, but his expression turned serious afterwards.

Luke smirked. "Hey, just admit it already."

Nick gave him an amused look, but shook his head. "I really don't get you, man," he said out of the blue.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, surprised by his friend's sudden remark.

The dark-haired man sighed. "I just don't get how you always manage to be so fuckin' happy and carefree, no matter what's goin' on. I'm pretty sure it'd be impossible for me if I was in your shoes, considerin' that we're gonna have your dad's funeral in an hour and we know that everything's gone to shit now outside of here."

 _ **| That's how I manage. |**_

| Maybe you're right. |

"That's exactly how I manage, remember? You already know that. I must sound like a broken record by now given how many times I've told you that," Luke responded. He sat down next to Nick and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We all gotta keep our hopes up and maintain a positive outlook on things, despite all the shit that's been happenin' recently," he elaborated.

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

Nick scooted closer to Luke. "Yeah, I know. I just wish it was as easy for me as it is for you… I can't believe that I'm the one feelin' all sorry for myself now, when really I oughta be comfortin' you instead."

"It's harder for some people, yeah. But if we just start every day with a smile, we'll get through with it."

"You're such a fuckin' optimist. I dunno how you do it." Nick's lips curled into a genuine smile.

It made Luke happy to see his friend reassured. "Hey, did anybody ever tell you that you look a lot better with a smile on your face anyways?"

Nick was still blushing. "I know; you tell me that all the time, man… But I think maybe we oughta try takin' things seriously for once. Like today, for example," he said. "I mean, I can't believe you're actually plannin' on wingin' this after you convinced your mom to let you give some speech thing instead of her. Especially after you told me what you had to do back in the hospital."

"Weird as it sounds, I always felt things like this might be more genuine if I just say I'm feelin' and what comes to mind at the moment. It would feel kinda cold to me, I guess, if I was just writin' myself a script and memorizin' that," Luke explained. "I know how I feel about what happened to him, and about what he told me before we said goodbye."

"If you say so, man." Nick didn't sound entirely convinced. "Does your mom even know that you're gonna come up with it on the spot?"

"Course she does. She already knows how we work," Luke chuckled and grabbed Nick's hand, causing the other man to look back up at him. "Look, I'll handle it; you know I can improvise. It's what we've always done. And this don't have to be real fancy or over-the-top. It's more sincere this way."

"All right, but if you ain't willin' to tell me how you really feel about shit right now, I still don't see how you're gonna do it in front of our families and whoever else actually makes it today," Nick argued. "You 'n me both know that you never tell anybody about _everything_ that's on your mind."

Luke thought about that for a while. What Nick was saying could definitely be true at times. He usually felt obligated to refrain from pouring out all of his feelings, and even more so since he felt the responsibility of not only taking care of himself, but Nick and his family too. He simply didn't think he could exactly afford to be so overly-emotional and entirely open about his struggles when there were always other people relying on him to be their rock. And that was exactly what his father had told him before he passed away.

 _ **| It's what I do so I can help others. |**_

| Maybe I should try thinking about myself first sometimes. |

"Maybe so. But that's just a small sacrifice I gotta make for everybody else, you know?" Luke tried to justify himself.

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

Nick shrugged. "I don't get how you're always so fuckin' selfless."

"I guess it's just part of my nature or somethin'," Luke supposed.

"Well, I think you can be pretty ridiculous about it at times. You oughta think about yourself first every once in a while," Nick stated. "I mean, look at what a mess I am. I'm the one gettin' himself into trouble and startin' shit while you deal with it, and then you actually still stood up for me when I was arguin' with Pete and mom over how fuckin' stupid and selfish I can be. Really, I oughta be the one helpin' you out through this instead of the other way around," he said.

| You're my friend. |

 _ **| You're not any of those things. |**_

| Did you want me not to? |

| … |

"Hey, you ain't any of those things, man. Trust me," Luke reassured.

"Can we just talk about somethin' else?" Nick requested, as he laid himself down onto his back. "I'm tired of makin' you feel all obligated to comfort me when, really, it oughta be the other way around."

Luke sighed, laying down next to Nick. "Yeah, I guess. We oughta make some sort of plan just in case things continue gettin' worse."

"Honestly, I think things have _already_ gone to fuckin' hell outside of our town. We don't have any communication with the outside world anymore, and the majority of your mom's guest list cancelled or is straight-up fuckin' dead. It's just gonna be me, you, your mom 'n sister, my folks, and maybe three more people who knew your dad at the funeral," Nick mentioned.

 _ **| Be optimistic. |**_

| Things keep getting worse. |

"Look, I know that things are definitely goin' awry, but we still gotta be optimistic about all the shit that's goin' on and hope we'll get through it. I've told ya this pretty much every day since I've met you, but it's a lot more important now, given how we're in probably the most uncertain situation that any of us has ever been in before," Luke said.

Nick put his arms behind his head. "I know… I guess we've got it real good actually. Pete might still think this is some dumb conspiracy, but at least he'd actually be able to teach our moms and your sister how to make it. And you 'n me already know how to take care of ourselves… long as you're there to bail my ass." He chuckled a bit.

Luke grinned and turned so that he and Nick were facing each other again. He was glad to see his friend with some optimism. "See? It ain't all lookin' bad. Sure, this might be the end of modern civilization and technology, but we've already got ourselves a lot of the tools and experience we'll need," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

Nick paused for a while, then admitted, "It's still so fuckin' scary thinkin' about those things, honestly. I'm not even sure if they're really things or still human. The radio said they ain't anymore, but I really don't fuckin' know."

"At least we haven't had to deal with anybody that's infected or that might have the disease since the attack in the hospital," Luke noted.

"Look, man, we both know that we're gonna have to confront whatever the hell that fucked up disease turns people into. I'm worried we're actually gonna have to start blowin' their faces off or somethin'... I mean, the guys on the radio said it's either kill or be killed by one of 'em, and we already saw firsthand how that works. If we hadn't gotten out of the city or made it out of the hospital, we'd be fuckin' food for them by now."

| I guess we'll have to learn to deal with it. |

 _ **| I'm scared. |**_

"Honestly, I'm scared. I don't wanna see things ever get t' that point. I don't think that anybody actually wants to commit murder, man," Luke responded.

"If shit keeps goin' downhill like it is, this is gonna take a lot of gettin' used to for everybody." Nick took a deep breath.

Luke knew that was the truth. He sighed, "Yeah.. maybe. And trust me, all this has been a lot t' think about for me too."

Nick looked over at his clock. "Hey… let's try to not think about it for now. It's time to go say goodbye to your dad."

"Yeah. I'm ready."


	15. Solemnity

**Author's Note: _I am so sorry for the immense wait for this chapter. Life gets in the way, unfortunately. I hope it's worth it._**

* * *

 **EPISODE TWO:** _ **The Prodigal Son**_

 _Part 3: Solemnity_

* * *

Luke was greeted with a somber hug and a kiss on the cheek from his mother upon arriving to the funeral home. John's service was not going to be the most traditional or elaborate, given the circumstances, but it would have to do. He would not have cared about the sacrifices Linda had been forced to make, having come from a simple and modest background anyways. It really was more so that Linda and Luke did not have to continue beating themselves up over the difficult decision they had been forced to make in the hospital, feeling better now that they could properly say goodbye to John.

"There you are, Luke." Linda smiled sadly at her son. "Everything's ready. We're just waitin' so that the workers are able to finish with the service before your father's… You know that there's been so many people bein' infected and gettin' sick over the past week."

Luke sighed, "Yeah… There's been too much goin' on lately and a lot of people gettin' hurt. But at least we're all still safe."

Linda nodded her head in agreement. "I know. And now that I'm thinkin' about it, Luke, I'm so grateful that you had the strength in you to help your father with his last request. I wouldn't have wanted him to end up like all of those other people who'd been hurt and attacked by those sick people. He deserved to go to rest peacefully, before he could feel anything when those monsters took over the place."

 _ **| What happened to the other people? |**_

| I'm grateful I was able to do that too. |

"Do you know what happened… or what's happenin' right now to the other people who've been hurt by them?" Luke asked.

Linda's eyes widened and she took a deep breath. She began explaining in a soft voice, "It's terrible, Luke. While I was preparin' things here at the funeral home, I could see how badly hurt the other victims were by those monsters. There were people who had their bellies ripped open or were just covered in bites and scratches… Nobody's havin' an open-casket service today, if that makes it clear how bad it is. I wouldn't have wanted that for anybody."

Luke shuddered and recalled how he and Nick had witnessed one of what was now many attacks firsthand. It could have been him and Nick being buried today if they hadn't been able to escape in time then.

"Yeah… It must've been horrible for them. I can't imagine how painful it must have been for them when that happened."

She agreed silently, but tried to change the subject, "I know, but let's not talk about that right now, Luke… And let's try to focus on the happier things and memories about your father."

"You're right, mom," Luke replied.

"Did I mention you and Nick look good today?" Linda complimented. "I know it's terribly hot today, but it's nice that everybody dressed in black. Just for tradition, you know. Though your father wouldn't have really minded if we didn't, of course."

"Well, it sure took a lot of convincing to get him to wear that old sweater…" Luke chuckled and looked over where Nick was pouting because Sharon was trying to comb his short hair while she probably lectured him on something.

Linda's eyes followed Luke's gaze over to Nick too. She laughed a bit at seeing the grown man protesting like a young child. "Poor thing. Sharon and Pete certainly give him too much of a hard time."

 _ **| I wish they weren't so harsh with Nick. |**_

| Nick does need to start acting more mature. |

"Yeah. I wish they'd ease up on him a bit. It's clear by now that they ain't helpin' anybody by bein' so tough on Nick," Luke supposed. Or maybe one day Nick would realize that his mother and uncle were probably right about things.

"Right. But I suppose they do have a point when they say he oughta get things sorted out for once," Linda responded. "Is there anything else on your mind, Luke? I know there must be a lot of pressure."

 _ **| Are you okay? |**_

| How is everybody else? |

| I guess I'm a bit nervous. |

| I'm fine. |

"Are you feelin' fine today, mom?" Luke asked. "Just wanna make sure…"

"I'm doin' the best I can, Luke." She admitted, "I won't lie that this is difficult for you and me, but John – your father – would have wanted us to be strong so that we could get through this and whatever's happening outside of here."

Luke sighed, "Yeah, you're definitely right about that. He said that to me before what happened…"

Linda gave her son a sympathetic look and nodded her head solemnly.

 _ **| How is everybody else? |**_

| I guess I'm a bit nervous. |

| I'll go talk to the others now. |

Luke questioned, "Do you know how everybody else is doin'? I haven't got much of a chance to determine exactly how Cait's been dealin' with everything…"

"She's doin' the best she can, Luke," Linda replied. "I suppose you and Pete were right that she's capable of handlin' herself well. I just hope that everything that's goin' on doesn't become too much for her, though. Remember she's still a young girl, Luke, as mature as she acts nowadays. It was just her fourteenth birthday last month."

"I know. This has all been a lot to handle for me too, so I guess it's gotta be tough on Cait too," Luke agreed.

 _ **| I guess I'm a bit nervous. |**_

| I'll go talk to the others now. |

Luke admitted, "If I'm honest, I might be a bit nervous too. Mainly 'cause of today and all of the things that're happenin' outside. We still really don't have much of a clue as to what's goin' on."

Linda looked down for a moment, probably remembering John, and then hugged her son in an attempt to comfort him. She said, "I know… But I'm hopeful that it'll all be figured out soon enough. And just always remember that your father is so proud of you Luke, even if he wasn't the best at showin' it."

"That was the last thing he told me," Luke mentioned solemnly. "That he was proud of me for chasin' after the things I wanted despite what he 'n everybody else said, even though he thought the things I wanted t' do were pretty ridiculous at the time."

"Well, can you blame him for thinkin' there wasn't much in terms of job prospects as an art major?"

Luke chuckled, "I guess he was right about that in the end anyways."

"So you already know what you wanted to say to everyone, right?" Linda asked.

"Yeah, I do. I might not have a script written out and with me right now, but it's in here." Luke smiled and pointed towards his heart.

"I know you've always been one for - what do they call it nowadays? 'Winging it?'" Linda smirked at her son, laughing.

"It's just how I've always worked best, honestly. And it feels more sincere than just readin' a paper I wrote in advance, I guess." Luke shrugged his shoulders and scratched the back of his neck.

"Maybe… Why don't you go check on everybody else now?" Linda suggested.

"Yeah." Luke agreed, "That sounds like a good idea."

 _ **(O) Talk to Nick and Sharon**_

Luke approached Nick and his mother, who were still in their little argument.

"Stop fidgetin', Nick. We're here to pay our respects to Luke's father, so I think his family'd appreciate us actually takin' the time to look presentable." Sharon was still scolding Nick as she ran a comb through his short, messy hair. Nick just impertinently rolled his eyes in response. Sharon added, "And you didn't shave like I asked you to."

Luke knew that Linda or Caitlin wouldn't actually mind it if Nick had just come as he usually would, though he did think that Nick looked good today. And it was definitely entertaining to watch his best friend sulk and frown over having his hair fixed by his mother.

"I like my facial hair," Nick insisted, crossing his arms.

"Maybe if you were able to actually grow a beard like your uncle or Luke. But right now, it just looks uneven and unkempt, and as if you just didn't bother gettin' prepared today and rolled straight out of bed," Sharon nagged. She stopped pestering Nick once she noticed Luke.

"Oh, hey," Nick greeted Luke, quickly stepping aside and away from Sharon. He was obviously relieved that he wouldn't have to listen to more of Sharon's fussing for the time being.

"Sweetie, how are you doin'?" Sharon's voice seemed to always suddenly turn warm and friendly when Luke was around, in stark contrast to how she tended to act with Nick. Luke really did feel bad for him with how his mother and uncle still put so much pressure on him.

"I'm doin' the best I can," Luke responded. "I mean, obviously y'all know how it is right now."

Sharon smiled warmly. "Of course, dear. And I admire how you're able to be so strong for everybody else despite the circumstances. That's a very important quality to have, wouldn't you agree?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah… It'd suppose it is. Especially given the situation we're all in right now,"

"We gotta get this all figured out soon," Nick affirmed.

"We will soon, Nick. Jus' not right now, of course."

"I hope so," Nick replied.

Sharon offered, "Please let me know how we can help, Luke. Trust me; we all want to understand what's happenin' as much as anybody."

"I will. I just need some time."

Luke decided to leave them on that. He wanted to go check on Caitlin too, since he still wasn't sure how she was dealing with the loss of their father yet. While Caitlin said that she was fine, Luke couldn't be sure if that was true.

 _ **(O) Talk to Caitlin**_

Caitlin was sitting down on a bench, waiting for the ceremony to begin. She was clad in a pretty black dress and jacket. Caitlin always seemed to put a lot of effort into making herself appear prim and proper, exemplifying everything a young lady should be, though she interestingly never wore makeup. But then again, she was only fourteen. She was probably just too young still.

"Oh… Hey, Luke." She looked up from her lap at her brother. Luke noted that her eyes were red and lacking in emotion, despite her convincing smile.

Luke sat down next to her, "Hey, Cait… Is everything all right? It's okay if it's not. There's nothin' wrong with talkin' about things when ya need somebody to listen to whatever's on your mind."

"I'm okay, Luke," she insisted. "Just thinking too much, I guess."

| I can tell you're not feeling good. |

 _ **| I understand. |**_

"Yeah… I understand that. There's been a lot on everybody's minds lately," Luke replied. "Between dad 'n everything that's goin' on outside… I imagine it must be a lot for us all to think about. At least I know it is for me."

Caitlin agreed quietly, "Yeah, I know." She didn't say anything else.

"I guess you're not exactly feelin' in the mood for a conversation right now? Don't worry, I get it... I was your age once too, ya know?" Luke wasn't sure why he tried to get Caitlin to laugh when they were about to bury their father, but his perpetual optimism sometimes left him insensitive to other people's feelings.

"Maybe later. I just need some more time to think before we say goodbye to daddy," Caitlin responded solemnly.

Luke said, "Yeah... That's fine. But just lemme know if you need to talk eventually. You know I'm always willin' to listen when you need it."

 _ **(O) Hug Caitlin**_

He wrapped an arm around Caitlin and added cheerfully, "And I'm also always available for a hug when it's necessary."

 _ **(?) Caitlin will remember that.**_

Caitlin looked back up at her brother and smiled sweetly, her brown eyes regaining their luster. "Thanks, Luke."

"For what?" Luke asked.

Caitlin responded, "Well… I needed that. But also… thanks for coming back and being here for us." She looked back down at her lap, as she waited for John's funeral to commence.

"You know I'll always be here for you 'n everybody else from now on," Luke reassured her.

 _ **(O) Talk to Pete**_

Luke approached Pete now, who was dressed nicely in black. It was strange to see Nick's uncle in anything other than old sweaters or that olive coat he always wore when he took him and Nick camping in the mountains, but he definitely looked good for an older man.

"Hey, son. How ya holdin' up?" Pete asked Luke, giving him a warm smile.

"I'm fine, considerin' what things are like right now," Luke answered, the same thing he had told everybody else so far.

Pete patted Luke's shoulder and reminded him, "Just remember that your father'd be proud of you 'n your sister right now. I know it's hard, 'cause I've been in that spot before, but things're gonna be fine."

"Yeah… Thanks, Pete." Luke grinned back at him. Pete had always been a sort of second father to Luke when he was younger, and it seemed like he was beginning to take that role again, now that Luke was back and John was gone.

"We can't change how things went, but that don't mean we should let guilt eat away at us," Pete advised.

| I agree. |

 _ **| You've gone through this before? |**_

| I don't know; I still feel guilty. |

| … |

Luke commented, "Yeah… I get that. But you said you've gone through this before?"

Pete chuckled a bit, "Course I have, son. With a lotta people now, and especially when my own folks – Nick's grandparents – passed on. I sure felt bad for the way I treated 'em. But I ain't gonna kill myself over it now. There ain't no point in beatin' yourself up over the past, no matter how much ya wish things could've gone differently. All we can do is try to learn from our mistakes, and use them to grow as people."

"That's some good advice… I'll remember that, Pete."

"It comes naturally when you're as old as I am, son," Pete replied, smiling.

Luke let out a small laugh. "I sure hope I'll be as wise as you are someday, then."

"Well, I hope so too. At least t' keep Nick safe when Sharon and I aren't around anymore. But don't let me or anybody else stop ya, Luke."

"I know, Pete."

Luke went off to look around just a bit more while everybody waited for the preacher to finish with the current funeral and get to John's service. It was uncomfortable thinking about how many people had died over the course of a week, and there were still infected people locked up in the boarded-up quarantine zone around the hospital.

 _ **(O) Look at memorial**_

There was a small memorial dedicated to John next to the spot planned for his burial. Luke recognized all of the photographs and the flowers. There were white lilies, which Linda had taught him were traditional for funerals, and he noted the pink blossoms surrounding them. "Magnolias… those were the flowers mom said dad gave to her when he first asked her out," Luke mentioned, chuckling lightly.

"Do you like it?" Caitlin asked timidly from behind Luke. She was holding a small statue of an angel and a wooden cross, which she placed next to the pictures of their father and the flowers.

Luke turned around to look at his sister and smiled gently at her. "Yeah… I really do, Caitie. It looks beautiful," he complimented.

"I asked mommy for some help because I didn't know what flowers to put," Caitlin admitted bashfully.

"Well, they look real pretty either way." Luke grinned, inspecting the memorial. "And I remember mom takin' that picture of me 'n dad playin' catch a long time ago… It brings back happy memories, back when things were simpler and we were a lot closer…"

"I know… But don't you think that we should try to think about the happy things? I really don't want to keep remembering what happened in the hospital over and over again. I don't know what he told you, but I think it must have been really difficult for you to make that choice too… Right?"

 _ **| It was hard. |**_

| I don't want to talk about it. |

| I'm doing fine. |

| … |

Luke placed a hand on Caitlin's shoulder and said, "Yeah, it was hard havin' to make that decision. Nobody wanted to leave dad behind there, but I guess we all knew deep down that it was the right choice or somethin'... But I promise that he went out a hero and didn't have to feel anything."

"I really, really hope so. Daddy deserves that," Caitlin replied. "But I don't know if that's the case with what happened back there."

Luke realized she must not have known yet about the other decision he had been forced to make in that hospital room.

 _ **| I made sure he didn't feel any more pain. |**_

| Don't worry; he's fine now. |

"Hey… I guess I haven't told ya this yet, but I made sure he didn't have to feel any more pain before anything bad could happen to him," Luke explained. "The last thing he asked me was to, well, put him to rest… So he's okay."

 _ **(?) Caitlin will remember that.**_

Caitlin seemed shocked for a second, but she gave Luke an appreciative smile. "Thanks Luke… I'm happy you were able to do that and that he's fine now." She shyly wrapped her arms around her brother's torso, who happily reciprocated her hug.

"Me too… And you're completely right about rememberin' the good times," Luke pointed out. "It's how we'll get through this."

"I know."

Caitlin and Luke looked over at their mother, who was speaking with the pastor. It seemed like the service was beginning now, so everybody took their seats. Thankfully it seemed like a few more people had managed to attend John's funeral.

* * *

The sermon was rather short due to his clearly booked schedule, but the preacher discussed grief and mourning in detail, citing passages from the Bible and personal experiences.

Linda began dabbing at her eyes with a tissue when it was evident that she was crying, so Caitlin held her mother's hand to comfort her. Luke was grateful now that he had the courage to be the one to deliver the "formal" eulogy because he wouldn't have wanted his mother to break down in front of everybody. It seemed like it was just starting to hit her all over again that this was actually it and they were saying farewell to John for the last time.

After the pastor finished, a few friends of the Porter family, including Pete and Sharon, came up to share their thoughts briefly about John's departure and how he had left an impact on their lives, but they all left room for Luke to elaborate and provide them with something memorable.

Luke noticed that Nick hadn't really been paying attention to anything so far, but when he realized Luke was about to speak, he was suddenly wide awake again. He always seemed eager to listen to whatever it was Luke had to say, provided that it wasn't too early in the morning.

"Hey… Good luck, man," Nick whispered in Luke's ear, who smiled back at him.

"Yeah… Thanks, Nick."

* * *

Luke got up from his seat next to him once Pete and Sharon had finished talking about what a wonderful friend John had been and expressing their condolences for Luke's family. He came up to the front, next to Caitlin's memorial and John's coffin, but he didn't get up onto the podium. Instead he just stood casually in front of everybody. Luke cleared his throat and flashed his mother a small smile.

 _ **[ Thank for coming. ]**_

[ Just begin talking. ]

Luke began, "First of all, we just wanna express that your support means so much to us, and that y'all are here today. I know that my dad would really appreciate that… and it's amazing to see just how many people felt touched enough by dad to help us out through this and come together today to talk about how he's had such an impact on us."

[ Give John's biography ]

[ Talk about John's accomplishments ]

 _ **[ Describe John's impact ]**_

"I'd try givin' a biography on him, but I know that isn't the point of us all being here. Really, I don't think we're here to talk about what a good person he was and what he did – though it's true that he was an amazing dad, husband, and friend – but rather how the things he did and valued have gone on to affect us now." Luke gave himself a few seconds of silence to let his words sink in. He looked at Linda and Caitlin, who were trying their best to smile for John.

He continued, "I mean, how else are we supposed to measure his life? While the list of things he managed to accomplish is real long, I dunno if it means that much if we don't take lessons from the way he lived his life and apply them to our own as we remember what kind of a person he was."

 _ **| The most important things to him were… |**_

| He's changed all of our lives by… |

"Overall, I think that all of us can learn from the way he always seemed to put certain things before anything else. In everything he did… I saw that he'd always prioritize what was really important…"

 _ **| Family and friends. |**_

| Faith and steadfastness. |

| Following his dreams. |

| Standing up for what he believed in. |

"And I think we can all agree that was his family and friends; the people that he cared about," Luke concluded.

"Everything he did was to make sure that the people close to him were safe and sound, even if we maybe didn't think of it that way at first. I remember that I was pretty devastated when he flipped out on me back in college when he'd found out I was gonna major in art history, but now I can see it from dad's perspective, and I realize that he just wanted the best for me. The same goes for all the times he was supportive of my choices or just plain spent time with me tryin' to bond as father 'n son…" Luke paused for a bit again, before continuing. He subconsciously looked at Nick when he brought up the subject of family.

"It was because he really understood the value of those relationships with those we really care about. And I know that I've taken this lesson from his life… That the most important thing in this world is the connections we have with the people we care about… Our family."

 _ **(?) Everybody will remember that.**_


	16. Pushing Daisies

**EPISODE TWO:** _ **The Prodigal Son**_

 _Part 4: Pushing Daisies_

* * *

It had now been a day since John's funeral. The situation had not improved, but it had not particularly worsened. The people of Clevesville continued on pretending that everything was normal, despite that fact that there was a shoddily-done fence keeping all of the infectees under quarantine right along the outskirts of town. Nobody dared to actually approach the fenced-off neighborhood, for fear of what might happen, and it was no secret that there wasn't anybody watching over the infected, who were just roaming around aimlessly behind the fences and boarded-off buildings.

Regardless, Luke was determined to investigate and find out how exactly this disease worked. He thought it was necessary because, by then, the number of people in town had dropped to maybe a third of what it had been. Thankfully, the majority of people missing had simply left for the evacuation centers in the big cities or to meet up with friends and family, but nobody ever returned. And there were still many who were not as lucky, like John. Despite his optimistic attitude, Luke couldn't shrug off his worries that all of those people were now either dead or infected. Or was there really any difference? Being attacked by an infected person was supposed to be a death sentence anyways, wasn't it?

In order to find out the truth, Luke had decided to ask his mother more about what she knew. She had told him that she was there at the funeral home with John's body, along with those of the other victims, so Luke supposed that what Linda had witnessed might provide him with some clues so that he could finish putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together.

* * *

Linda was at her small flower shop along the town's main street, working as if things were normal. She was the only florist in town, but business was slowing down for Linda, and she had not received any new shipments for two weeks now. The same issue was present at all of the other still-functioning businesses in town, who were beginning to realize they were slowly but surely going out of stock of everything. It was as if the town were stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere, having been cut off from the rest of the world entirely.

Luke entered his mother's store, and was greeted with another hug from expression was still evidently sad.

"Is… everything all right here?" Luke asked. Things seemed normal, or at least how he'd remembered them.

Sharon was also there with Linda. She smiled at Luke and gave them their space, but it seemed that the two mothers had just been talking. Due to their sons being best friends, the women had grown very close to each other despite their dissimilar personalities. Linda was as sweet as sugar with her children ninety-nine percent of the time, while Sharon had always been hot-tempered, stern, and perpetually disappointed with Nick.

Linda responded, "Just… waiting for anybody to stop by, I suppose. You know I never got particularly much business. And especially now, the way things are."

 _ **| I get what that's like. |**_

| What's it usually like here? |

"I get what that's like, mom." Luke chuckled, remembering his endeavor with Nick again. "Well, we actually got quite a few people to stop by… But in the end, it sure wasn't anywhere near enough to pay off all the bills and debt we'd somehow managed to accumulate over those six months."

"I can only imagine. I would've hoped that maybe you boys would have learned at least a bit of financial sense." Linda tried her best to pull off a convincing laugh, though it was clear that she was not feeling well still. After all, it had only been a week since John passed away, and a day since his funeral.

"Yeah… I'd suppose we got real ahead of ourselves. I had all these crazy plans for the space, but now I'm seein' that we should've bided our time and not been so impatient. And we really should've kept a better eye on my checkbook," Luke recalled.

"I'm not sure if money is goin' to be much of a problem anymore, if I'm honest, Luke." Linda led Luke through the back door to the small garden she kept behind the store and took a seat at the table.

Luke sat down across from his mother, mentioning, "We still haven't got anything in the mail about all the debt Nick 'n me racked up yet, or payin' off the loans I took for college. But I'm sure not complainin' about that, I guess. It's a relief to not have to worry about money anymore."

"If things get back to normal soon, then I'm afraid you might have to fret over all that debt again, Luke," Linda reminded him.

 _ **| I'm not sure if they will. |**_

| Things will be normal again soon. |

| I really don't know what's going to happen. |

| … |

Luke sighed. "I'm not really sure if they will. Maybe the military or somethin' might be at work gettin' things under control, but I'd think we'd actually know somethin' by now regardin' the situation. And the thing is, we still really don't know anything about what's goin' on, yet it's been more than a week since this started."

Linda looked down and nodded. "I suppose you're right, Luke. If I'm honest, I haven't put much thought to it given what… happened to your father. But maybe I should care more about this… For yours and your sister's sake."

"I just think it's important that we try and determine what's really goin' on, and fast. Nick 'n I are tryin' to figure everything out now that we got the chance," Luke replied.

"You're right, Luke. And I know you two are smart boys… Well, at least when y'all actually put your minds to it and make an effort."

Luke let out a bit of laughter in agreement. "Yeah, I guess so."

"So, there must be somethin' I can do to help, Luke," Linda supposed.

"I'm just lookin' for any sort of clues which might help me put everything together about how this all works… With the disease, I mean. We gotta know how to deal with it if something happened and the quarantine ain't secure anymore," Luke explained. He was convinced by now that there was no way the fences would hold off the infection from spreading further.

"All I can say, Luke, is that all of the people I saw in the funeral home had bullet wounds in their heads, even though they tried covering them up. I don't want to believe it… but they told me it was necessary to prevent the disease from makin' more people turn sick and violent," Linda said.

"That lines up with the little we know so far, or at least what we think's certain. Apparently we gotta find a way to injure the head to stop the disease from takin' hold. But, I mean, there's no way that there's much a chance of survival if it's really necessary to damage the brain that much..." Luke's normally confident voice drifted off and sounded quiet, as he was clearly concerned.

Linda seemed to understand what he was saying, and his concerns. "I don't want to. Nobody does. But if you think they're right, Luke…" She exhaled and shook her head, sighing. "We can't let your sister know then. Cait already knows far too much, Luke, with what you told her. I know that you just want to be honest with her, but she's still so young. She deserves to have a childhood just like you did and not havin' to worry about things as serious as this."

 _ **| I still think she deserves the truth. We can't shelter her forever. |**_

| Maybe you're right. She doesn't need to know everything. |

"You're not gonna like this, mom, but I still think that Cait deserves to be aware of what's really goin' on. I know that we won't be able to keep her sheltered forever, no matter how much we wanna try and make sure she doesn't have anything to worry about," Luke replied.

 _ **(?) Linda will remember that.**_

Luke's mother frowned in disapproval. She was obviously not convinced by his argument, and Luke understood why Linda felt the way she did about protecting Caitlin from the increasingly-disturbed truth about the situation. Luke had been so carefree and untroubled, and Caitlin truly did deserve to be able to keep her innocence for a bit longer. But something told Luke that things would never be same again, and it concerned him greatly that sheltering Caitlin, and Christopher for that matter, would only hurt the two of them in the end. He could foresee something happening that would force them all to confront this new reality whether they wanted to or not.

Linda's voice took a serious tone. "Luke, listen to me. I know what's best for your sister. I won't guilt you for not knowin', but she's been very, very sad ever since you left. Aside from dealin' with how your father's condition continued gettin' worse… she found it very hard to talk to people and make friends, and she felt so lonely at her new school in Charleston. She was never able to find anybody that cared about her there, and whenever she got the chance to come home, she would always say how much she missed you, and how much she wanted a friend. But now that you came back, I haven't seen her smile this much in such a long time. She loves you so much Luke, and I don't want her to go back to the way she was before. I need her to be happy, and I know that you want that for her too."

The guilt came back to Luke. He wished again that he had been there more for Caitlin and his family. While he thought the occasional phone calls and pictures helped, he never knew just how much his sister really longed to see him again. But he couldn't change the past. All Luke could do was to try to make the right decisions from now on.

"Of course I want her to be happy, but I don't know if keepin' her sheltered from things is gonna be the best option for her in the end. I'm worried that somethin' terrible might happen and she'd learn the entire story for herself anyways, and then what? Wouldn't she feel even more hurt knowin' we'd been keepin' the truth about the way things're changin' away from her the entire time?" Luke argued. He knew that he would feel guilty for keeping Caitlin ignorant of reality. Even if ignorance was bliss, he didn't think that could be the best way of going about the issue.

Linda sighed again. "I guess… I hope that you're right, Luke. Maybe… maybe she does need to learn the truth about what's happenin'. And Christopher too. You got to meet him, right?"

Luke nodded. He hadn't gotten much more time to interact with the kid since the hospital, but he knew that they were going to be spending a lot more time taking care of him, since his father had left that morning to seek help and supplies in the city, but left Christopher in their care due to his broken arm. The man had figured he would be safer in Clevesville than risking bringing him along with him into the city. Nobody genuinely thought that it would be safer to go to the cities than to remain in Clevesville. According to Pete, there was no way in hell that things were any more secure there, given how quickly the disease could infect new victims when people were being packed in the evacuation centers like sardines.

"I'm worried that something might happen to his daddy…" Linda continued, "And if we're goin' to be taking care of him for the time bein', we also have to think about the same things as your sister. He's even younger than her, though, so I'm not sure if he would even understand it if we did tell him."

 _ **| I think he'd understand. |**_

| I guess you might be right about that. |

"I think he'd understand it if we explained what's happenin' to him; I know that he's a smart kid," Luke said. "He did see somethin' while Nick was tryin' to get him outta the hospital room he was at, though, and I remember he was real scared of whatever it was. But he didn't say anythin' after that and seemed to forget about it by that afternoon."

 _ **(?) Linda will remember that.**_

"Okay… I trust you, Luke. I guess you might be right about everything. And I hope that Christopher takes it just as well as you think your sister has so far."

"Yeah, I do too… And I'm confident this is the right thing to do." Luke didn't particularly want to expose his fourteen-year-old sister and the eight-year-old they were taking care of now to the increasingly harsh and bleak world he anticipated was coming, but he was convinced that it would be for the best in the end.

"It's good that you're able to make hard decisions like this, Luke. I'm not like that, but your father is… was, I mean." Linda's gaze turned downwards at the memory of John, but she tried to shrug it off. "It meant so much that you were able to get up in front of everybody and talk about him. I know now that I couldn't've done it."

 _ **| It was hard to do, honestly. |**_

| I'm okay after yesterday, I guess. |

"I know that it's gonna be important to make difficult choices… But if I'm honest, it was kinda hard to do that yesterday," Luke admitted. He wasn't one to get stage fright, but he had felt the pressure to deliver something memorable to everybody, so that they could have something special to remember John by.

"I know, Luke. But thank you so much."

"It was the least I could do." Luke scratched the back of his neck.

"Maybe you should go see Caitlin and Christopher and see how they're doin' now?" Linda suggested. "I'll be here until I close just in case anybody stops by… Caitie took him to the playground where we used to take you 'n her when you both were little."

"That sounds good. I oughta spend more time with Christopher now that we're gonna be lookin' after him till his dad gets home." Luke couldn't help the strong feeling that this would be a permanent thing, given how nobody who left for the cities seemed to come back. He certainly didn't mind taking care of the boy from now on, though. Luke genuinely did like working with children, as he and Nick could still be quite immature themselves too.

"Exactly. And I'll be home later today, Luke. I have a few more things I'd like to talk about with Sharon, about everything that's goin' on and what you told me."

"Make sure t' tell her to go easier on Nick from now on." Luke chuckled, but he really did wish Sharon would understand for once that all the pressure she and Pete put on him was not helping him succeed. If anything, it was just contributing to his depression.

Linda nodded. "I will. You know that I want Nick to be happy as much as you do. He's your best friend, Luke."

"Exactly. I'll go check on Cait and Chris now."


	17. Playtime

**EPISODE TWO:** _ **The Prodigal Son**_

 _Part 5: Playtime_

* * *

The fresh coat of paint that the playground structure had received made it look just like how Luke recalled it: bright and happy. He was reminded of how this particular park had fallen into some disrepair during his teenage years. While he and Nick had obviously outgrown it by then, it had saddened him to see the place abandoned. But now, it actually looked brand-new again, ready for another generation of carefree grade schoolers. He was glad to see that there were once again some children playing and running around, though not as many as he would have hoped.

 _ **(O) Look at playground**_

There were a few children running around, kicking up dirt and sand. A mother was pushing a girl on the swingset while she watched over what Luke presumed were her daughter's friends on the jungle gym. Luke began to question himself again whether or not it was really a good idea to reveal the truth to Caitlin and Christopher. And he also noticed that they were absent from the playground, unsure of where they would have gone.

"Seein' the kids scamperin' about without a care… Should I really oughta break their innocence? Mom's got a point, they deserve t' not have to worry about things like us adults do." Luke continued, "They're still innocent, right? And who am I t' end that?" Though, Luke was still hopeful that they could be aware of the graveness of the situation they faced and yet still retain that happiness and bliss of childhood.

 _ **(O) Look at etching**_

Luke ran his fingers over another tree, feeling the incision somebody had made. "Luke plus Nick. Huh. I'm not sure I never noticed all these etchings around town before. But I don't know who'd be carvin' our names into everythin', or if they're tryin' to imply somethin'..."

 _ **(O) Look at apple tree**_

Caitlin and Christopher were seated under the shade of a large apple tree, smiling and laughing innocently. Luke supposed that Christopher's broken arm would prevent him from being able to do much of anything, let alone run around and climb onto the playground. Caitlin had spread out a blanket for the two of them, and she seemed to be reading yet another book with him. "If one thing's clear, Christopher and Caitlin seem to really like literature. They're too busy with whatever it is they're readin' t' notice me."

She had a very motherly look to her as she helped Christopher with the book. Luke commented, "You know, I guess she can finally get to have a lil' sibling like she said she always wanted to. It was nice t' know how much she used to look up to me, that she wanted to be like me someday… And I feel terrible for bein' such a crappy brother to her. I hope she learns from my mistakes, at least."

 _ **(O) Sketch**_

(X) Back out

There was something about seeing the two of them like that, so happy and carefree, that made Luke want to capture it forever. Probably because he did not really know how things would change his sister and Christopher. If a grown man like him was actually feeling worried and even scared over the way things seemed to be heading, he could not imagine what they would be thinking about the situation.

Luke hoped that they wouldn't notice him from a distance because he found it rather awkward to sketch people who were deliberately posing for him. There was something unnatural he didn't particularly like about having a subject that was conscious of the fact, since people always seemed to distort their expression and poses just for the camera. Or in this case, the pencil. Though this may or may not have gotten him into trouble with a few women in the past.

Regardless, the genuine smiles he could see from afar certainly beat the forced ones he assumed they would have plastered across their faces if he specifically asked Caitlin and Christopher to let him sketch them. So he found a stump to sit on and pulled out his trusty sketchbook and pencil to make a quick drawing of the two. Maybe Nick was right that he didn't need a drawing or a photograph to really remember something, but Luke thought it helped. And he enjoyed drawing anyways.

It didn't take long for Luke to finish, given his rough yet fluid style. And Caitlin and Christopher were so fascinated by whatever it was they were reading that they hadn't noticed him.

 _ **(O) Talk to Caitlin and Christopher**_

Luke approached the two kids, noticing their faces light up once they finally saw him coming closer. "Hey, you two. How are y'all doin'?" he greeted.

"Better than yesterday, I guess," Caitlin responded, putting down her book. She definitely looked happier, at least.

"I'm okay, mister Luke." Christopher smiled brightly.

Luke took a seat next to them, looking at the covers of the books Caitlin had brought with her. There was an old poetry book which he had seen Caitlin with earlier, along with two children's books which he assumed Christopher would be reading. " _Magic Tree House,_ huh? Sounds interestin'."

"He insists that he doesn't need any help with them," Caitlin giggled.

"Because I don't! They're my favorite!" Christopher enthused. "And there's pictures too, not like the other book I was readin'. I don't like it when there's no pictures because it's hard to think about what it's really like."

 _ **| That's what your imagination's for. |**_

| I completely agree. |

"That's what your imagination's for, ain't it?" Luke chuckled. "I mean, I'd think that if a story's good enough, we'd be able t' make ourselves a picture in our heads of what's happenin'. Though maybe that's just the adult in me talkin'."

 _ **(?) Christopher will remember that.**_

"Adults are borin', then. I don't wanna grow up if it means that I have to read more books without pictures in them," Christopher insisted, smiling proudly as if he had totally won the debate already.

"I think that books and other things are really about our own interpretations. Aren't they, Luke?" Caitlin asked.

"Well, partially."

"It's not the same if there's no pictures because I don't know if what I'm thinkin' is the right thing," Christopher argued.

Luke supposed, chuckling, "I guess he does have a point about that, Cait." Given his studies in art, he did believe that a lot of the works which had stood the test of time were only still relevant because there were powerful messages and symbols present which would be sacrilegious to misinterpret. Though he didn't exactly know if the same applied to a children's book.

"See?" Christopher beamed with pride.

"Okay, Chris. Maybe the pictures _do_ help." Caitlin giggled.

"Do you wanna read them too? I already finished this one a long time ago, but I have to give it back to the library really soon because I only asked for it because I wanted to read it again." Christopher handed Luke one of his books using his good arm.

"Maybe when I get the time, Chris." Luke laughed a bit, inspecting the cover.

"Or you can read Caitie's poems. I dunno why she thinks they're fun." Christopher pouted. "I can't understand them at all."

"You'll be able to get what they mean someday, Chris," Caitlin reassured. Luke couldn't help but find the kid adorable.

"Caitie told me that she kept that book from her school even though she's not supposed to," Christopher randomly tattled, pointing at the poetry collection. Then he just went back to his book as if he hadn't said anything.

Luke smirked, turning back towards his sister. Christopher was totally occupied by his book again, so he figured he could also talk a bit with her, separately from him. He'd explain it to Caitlin first, then they'd help Christopher understand together. "Is that true, Cait?"

Caitlin looked down, as if she was actually ashamed. "Yeah, but only because Sara Teasdale is my favorite. And they'll never notice," she justified.

"I guess every teenager goes through a sorta rebellious phase… Though I'll say that stealin' books is a new one- I wasn't givin' you a lecture or anything, if that's what you're worried about. You already know that me 'n Nick got ourselves into a hell of a lot more trouble back when we were in school."

"I know. Daddy told me about how many times he and Pete would have to punish you and Nick for acting up," Caitlin mentioned, giggling.

"And I guess you might not have t' worry about ever returnin' that book, anyways," Luke said. He wasn't sure why he let that slip out.

"What do you mean, Luke?" Caitlin asked. "I can tell there's something you want to tell us."

Luke looked back at Christopher. "Hey, Chris, mind givin' us a bit of time to talk by ourselves? Just… adult things, if you could call it that."

"Okay. I guess," Christopher responded. Luke led Caitlin to a nearby bench where they could watch over Christopher but not risk him overhearing what they had to discuss.

* * *

Luke said, "I guess you could say I've figured out there's a bit more to things than we thought."

"I already knew that." Caitlin sighed. "Even if you hadn't told me about what you saw in person… I was sure that there was something wrong. I mean, I know that I shouldn't, but I asked Pete to let me use the radio and for him to tell me what he knew. But I guess we weren't really able to find out much because that's when the radio stations were being taken off air."

Luke wrapped an arm around Caitlin's torso, sitting against the tree. "Hey, I don't blame ya for wantin' to figure things out for yourself. But, did you already hear about how to, well, _treat_ somebody who's got the disease?" he asked. He was still uneasy talking about it; Luke didn't want to actually go into any detail about shooting the infected in the head.

"I think so," Caitlin said softly. The tone of her voice seemed to confirm that she had an accurate idea of how this seemed to work. "Are you scared, Luke?"

 _ **| Honestly, yes. I'm worried about things. |**_

| No, I can't afford to be scared. |

| Does it matter? |

| … |

Luke admitted, "Honestly, yeah, I am. There's still so much uncertainty and doubt over what's happenin'. And each day, it seems less likely that things'll be entirely back to normal anytime soon. I know we ain't gotten hit with anywhere near the worst of it, but we don't know how long things'll continue on bein' safe around here."

"Do you have a plan for what we should do if it's not safe anymore?" Caitlin asked.

"Kind of. I mean, Nick 'n his family think that it'd be our best bet for everyone to leave for the mountains outside of town where we'd be isolated, over where Pete lives. He refuses to believe that this is somethin' serious, but he's got the supplies and skills for a situation like this."

Caitlin nodded. "Okay. That sounds good, I guess. But do you think we're safe here for now? Well, assuming that nothing happens to the fences and buildings keeping the infected people away from us."

"For now, yeah. But we don't know how long that's gonna hold, and I got the feeling that it won't be pretty when somethin' does happen," Luke said.

"It's more of a matter of _when_ and not _if_."

"Yeah. You're right about that." Luke laughed dryly.

"So what are you planning to do, Luke?"

 _ **| We'll try to observe anything we can about the infected. |**_

| I don't know. |

Luke supposed, "Nick 'n I… I guess we'll try to observe the infected the best we can without gettin' ourselves hurt. Jus' anything to let us know the full story about the way this disease functions, and how it changes the way somebody acts. What we got so far is that bein' attacked by somebody gives you the disease, and the only way to make sure they can't hurt anybody else is by…"

"You can say it, Luke. I know what they said."

"It's still hard t' mention. I mean, it ain't like anybody wants to actually do somethin' like that." Luke placed a hand on his forehead.

"It sounds really dangerous for you two to try going into the quarantine area anyways," Caitlin commented.

Luke sighed. "Of course it's dangerous. But I know that it's gotta be done if there's any way we can get the full picture on what's goin' on. I'm hopeful that somethin' there might just give us an insight as to what it turns people into. Aside from violence, we don't know what else it really does to a person. Maybe there's some way t' pacify them and prevent people who're infected from actually doin' harm to anybody else? We don't know yet, and that's what I'm determined to find out. But if there ain't a cure, then at the very least we can figure out some sorta strategy for how to deal with 'em and fight them off when the gates open, 'cause we all know it ain't gonna hold forever."

"I guess that it _is_ important to learn as much as we can about it, and I also know that it's important to know how to defend yourself in case something went wrong… but I don't want anybody to fight, Luke," Caitlin fretted.

| I'm not sure if we'll have a choice. We'll have to adapt. |

 _ **| You won't have to worry about that. I'll keep you safe. |**_

"Hey, you won't have to worry about that, Cait. I'll keep you 'n mom safe from everything," Luke promised.

 _ **(?) Caitlin will remember that.**_

Caitlin smiled and, unsure of what to say, hugged Luke. He wrapped his arms back around her thin torso, smiling too.

"Luke? Can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

Caitlin pulled away from their hug and looked up at her brother, directly in the eyes. "I just... want you to know that it really means a lot that you trust me to be aware of what's happening too. I know I'm just a girl, but I really want to help everybody in any way that I can. So… Thank you, Luke."

"Of course, Cait. I mean, we couldn't make it without your help," Luke said, grinning.

Caitlin nodded. "So, um, please tell me if there's anything that I can do. You and Nick don't have to do this by yourselves… When you finish whatever it is you have planned, please let me know and I can help y'all put the pieces of the puzzle together. I think I might have some ideas of my own."

"I'll be sure t' let you help us, Cait. We'll have a big board back in Nick's room with everything we've able to figure out posted up on it, and we'll all work from there, all right?" Luke placed a hand on his sister's shoulder.

She smiled brightly again, the corners of her lips curling upwards. "Okay, Luke." She looked back at where Christopher was still intently reading his book, totally unaware of his surroundings. Caitlin looked down at her lap and asked, "How do you think we should explain things to Christopher? I really don't think he'll take it poorly, but I guess he also needs to know that it _is_ serious and not just another game."

 _ **| Slowly but surely. |**_

| He needs to know the full story as soon as possible. |

| Maybe we shouldn't tell him anything yet. |

| … |

Luke replied, "Just… piece by piece, so that we can make sure that he understands. But we'll make it clear that this ain't just a game anymore; we're all in the middle of somethin' serious that we've all gotta be real careful about."

"Okay," Caitlin agreed. "I guess we should go back now; he's probably missing us."

* * *

She stood up and sat back down at the apple tree. Christopher looked up at the two and pouted once again, then turned his gaze back to the book.

"Hey, kiddo. Somethin' wrong?" Luke asked.

"Are you done with your 'adult talk' now?"

"Yeah, Chris. I'm sorry… it really was important for us to talk about, okay? You understand, right?" Caitlin asked softly. "And we'll tell you about what we agree you need to know about the things we were discussing right now."

Christopher seemed to understand. "Okay…"

Caitlin began, "So, um… Chris, please look at me. There's something really important that's happening, and we think that things are changing a lot around town and outside of here. And we think you're just as able to understand what's going on as any of us."

The kid seemed more willing to listen to them when Caitlin complimented his capability to comprehend the situation. "Is it about the monsters? Because they're really scary. I don't want to see anythin' like that ever again."

Luke's eyes shot open in realization when he remembered how Christopher saw something in the hospital while Nick was trying to get him out of his room and upstairs with him and his family. He was just grateful that his friend managed to retrieve the kid and take him back to safety, despite the fright that Christopher had received. If it weren't for Nick, Luke didn't know if Christopher would still be here and talking with them.

 _ **| It's going to be okay. Just listen to us. |**_

| You have to know what's going on, Chris. |

"Yeah, it's about the monsters. But don't fret, all right?" Luke tried to console him. "It's gonna be okay, but you gotta know what's goin' on too. And that does mean you've gotta be aware of the whole situation, Chris."

"Okay, I guess." Christopher tried his best to shrug with a broken arm.

Caitlin seemed uncertain on what to say, so Luke continued, "Just, we all gotta be a lot more careful around things from now on. We don't know for sure how long the whole predicament we're in is gonna last, but until things settle down and get back to normal, we've gotta make sure that we keep alert and watch each other's backs. So that's why we trust you t' know what's happenin' too."

"But I thought it was over, what me and Nick saw." Christopher looked down, with a saddened expression.

 _ **| Not yet. |**_

| It will be soon. |

| I don't know when. |

| … |

"Not yet… But maybe sometime later. It's just that we gotta be careful until we know for sure that it's over," Luke explained.

"I wanna help then," Christopher insisted.

"Of course you can, Chris," Caitlin said. "After Luke and Nick finish investigating what they can, they're going to let us help them put everything together... like a jigsaw puzzle! Wouldn't that be fun, Chris? You'll get to be a detective!"

"What? But I wanna help actually look for the clues. You can read them after I'm done bein' a real detective." Christopher grinned. Luke chuckled.

"Chris, remember your arm. It might be a little too dangerous for you right now if you went with Luke and Nick to help them. We can help them a lot back at Nick's home, can't we?"

"You never let me do anything fun, Caitie. Just because my arm is bad doesn't mean I can't do anything." Christopher gave her that 'puppy-dog' look which Luke knew all too well, having used it on a lot of women in the past.

Caitlin looked up at her brother for advice. "Luke… He won't listen to me."

* * *

 _ **[ YOU CAN HELP ]**_

[ IT'S DANGEROUS ]

* * *

"Uh… all right. You can help us if you really want to, Chris," Luke decided. Before Caitlin could protest, he told her, "Don't worry. You know that we'll both keep him safe. Just trust me on this, all right? I know we kinda screwed up before, but I'll make sure we all get outta there without even a scratch."

 _ **(?) This action will have consequences.**_

Caitlin sighed. "Okay… You win again, Chris."

"See? Luke knows that I can do it," Christopher stated, grinning.

Luke reassured, "Hey, Cait, we'll all be fine. I promise I won't get him into any sort of danger that ain't necessary. Just enough so that we got a better idea of how we can all deal with the plague, and so that we can figure out how best t' protect ourselves in the future."

"I… all right. I trust you, Luke."


	18. First Blood

**Author's Note:** ** _Life has been crazy recently; I'm sorry about the wait. I also realize the story might have been pretty dull recently, so I'm glad to get back to the action-based scenes. As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have. Also, if you want to see the concept art I've made for the story, check out my Tumblr and DeviantArt accounts. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this next chapter._**

* * *

 **EPISODE TWO: _The Prodigal Son_**

 _Part 6: First Blood_

* * *

"You brought him?"

"Relax, Nick. He'll be fine. Ain't that right, Chris?" Luke raised a hand defensively. He had expected that Nick would think it ridiculous that he'd actually brought the kid with them. But Luke couldn't bring himself to turn down Christopher for some reason.

The child looked up at Luke, appreciative of his support, and then turned to Nick. "Yeah! I know I'm little and my arm isn't good, but I can help. I really can."

Nick exhaled, shaking his head. He clearly thought that this plan was stupid and just putting Christopher in unnecessary danger. "Okay. Fine. Just stay safe." He looked back at Luke, folding his arms. "Your sister's probably gonna kill you if somethin' goes wrong. That's gonna be on you."

 _ **| Could I say no to him? |**_

| He insisted on helping us. |

"I know, I know. Cait already gave a new one about lettin' him help out. But can you really say no to him?" Luke argued.

"You're always so... weird when it comes to kids, man," Nick teased, nudging his friend.

"Yeah. Real funny, Nick."

"Hey, look. We're off to a real good start. The kid we're supposed to be watchin's all the way over there screwin' around with somethin'." Nick pointed to where Christopher had run off to while they talked. He was on his tiptoes trying to look through what seemed to be a hole in the rickety fence.

"Shit. I'd've sworn he was right here just a second ago."

Luke approached Christopher, and Nick followed him. He wasn't going to confront him about running off while they had been talking, at least not right then. "Hey, kiddo. What're you lookin' at right now? You see somethin' in there?"

"It's so weird. I don't know what's goin' on inside there… Somebody's just walkin' in circles, over and over," Christopher narrated. "Wait! There's another person too! They're just actin' really weird, but not like what happened when me and Nick were together last week. They aren't hurtin' anybody, Luke."

"All right. Mind lettin' me take a look, Chris?"

"Okay." Christopher nodded and invited Luke to take a look into the hole. He got onto his knees to match the kid's height so that he could look through the hole too. The narrow peephole stymied his range of vision, but Luke was able to get a decent view of the quarantined street. He could make out a few figures shambling around.

 _ **(O) Look in hole**_

"Hey, what do you see?" Nick asked.

"There ain't much I can see from here, Nick. All I can make out is that they're just goin' around pretty aimlessly, like Chris said." Luke squinted, trying to focus. He noticed that one of them turned around and began getting closer. "Hold on… one of 'em's movin' towards us," he announced, getting up. "Could ya get a look from above the fence? You're tall enough, Nick. Oh, and Chris, stay by my side, all right? I just don't want you to get hurt, kiddo."

The kid nodded and sat down next to Luke, leaning against the fence. "I know…"

Nick let out a bit of laughter, and Luke knew that it was because he'd admitted to Nick being the taller of them. But Nick still had to stretch himself out and crane his neck up to see above the wooden fence. "It's the girl we saw back in the hospital. She's comin' towards us, slowly," he mentioned.

"How's she look now?" Luke asked.

"I dunno... Like a crackhead? I mean, she's got the same blue skin as the others. And the same eyes. She's short and gettin' too close now to see any more." Before Nick could say anything else, he was interrupted by a loud pounding noise on the other side of the fence. Christopher jumped up and backed away from barricade, hiding behind Luke. The woman was desperately trying to get through the fence to reach them, apparently.

"Hey… don't worry, Chris. It's gonna be okay," Luke reassured, looking down at the kid who seemed reassured by that. "Nick, you got somethin' to use as a weapon?" he asked. He couldn't help but worry that the fence wouldn't hold much longer.

"Uh… You don't think we're really gonna have to shoot her, right?" Nick held up one of Pete's pistols. "I just brought it in case somethin' went real outta hand."

"I don't know. I mean, I don't want to… But if she breaks through that, we're gonna need t' protect ourselves. If that means… doin' that, then I guess we might have to." Luke sighed. Could they really do this? They might think of themselves as brave, but they were not killers.

Nick placed a hand on his forehead. "Fuck." He shook his head and glanced back at their car. "You got somethin' too, man? I can go get the other guns from the trunk."

"Naw, it's fine… I already took one of Pete's guns too." Luke revealed the small pistol he had brought with him.

"It's like we already know that somethin's gonna go wrong here…" Nick chuckled anxiously, looking back at the fence. The girl was still banging against it, and it seemed like she had been joined by another infectee trying to get at them.

"What are we waitin' for, Luke?" Christopher asked, impatient. "I thought we were gonna be detectives."

 _ **| We just have to be careful. |**_

| Okay. We'll hurry then. |

| Are you sure you aren't scared? |

| … |

"Hey, I know you really wanna get movin', Chris, but you know that it's real important that we be careful here, all right? We jus' don't want anybody to get hurt here, you know? We really don't mean to make it any less fun for you," Luke tried to explain to the kid.

"But how are we supposed to do anything if we're just standin' here?" Christopher responded.

Nick laughed to himself. "You gotta be patient, all right? We'll come up with some sorta plan soon." That seemed to silence the kid for now. Turning back to Luke, he whispered, "So, what're we even tryin' to figure out right now, man?"

"Anything we can, Nick. Now, I doubt we're gonna be the guys to find a cure to whatever the hell this is, but we can least try to learn how we're gonna deal with 'em when things get, well, worse… Which looks like it might be soon," Luke said, gazing back at the barricade. "We just gotta figure out what might be able to pacify 'em and get 'em under control. If that involves… you know, then I guess we'll gotta deal with it and determine the best way to go about handlin' them. The infected have got to have some sorta weakness we might be able to take advantage of. And it'd be nice to figure out what draws their attention and whether or not they're really alive or not anymore. I imagine that kinda info might just come in handy one day."

"Uh… That makes sense, I guess." Nick scratched his head.

 _ **| You didn't get a thing I said, did you? |**_

| Do you want me to repeat myself? |

Luke raised an eyebrow. "You didn't get a thing I said, did ya?"

"No, I did. It's just I'm wonderin' how we're gonna go about it." Nick folded his arms, frowning.

"If you say so, man." Luke smirked.

"Why don't we go up there and get a better look at what's happening? There's a ladder we can use to go up and we'll be able to see a lot more from up there!" Christopher interrupted, pointing towards another building which acted as a post that the fence was connected to. He ran off towards the ladder before Luke could say anything.

"You're goin' last on that thing. Wouldn't want you breakin' another ladder with your fat ass while we've got him with us," Nick said, chuckling.

"Yeah, yeah. Real funny, Nick." Luke rolled his eyes, and the two men walked over to meet Christopher, who was waiting for them to hurry up. He assumed that the kid was probably going to need help climbing the ladder, since his arm was in a cast.

"Will you catch me if I fall?" Christopher asked.

"Huh?" Nick seemed genuinely perplexed by the kid.

"I need to go first because I'm the smallest one, but I also need to know if one of you's gonna catch me if I fall, because of my arm… And I know that I can climb it by myself so I really don't want y'all askin' to carry me because that would just make it harder for you two to get up anyways. I'm only askin' just in case I trip myself and somethin' happens," Christopher insisted, giving them that trademark pout he seemed so fond of using by now.

 _ **| Okay. I won't try to help if you don't need it. |**_

| I don't want you to get hurt, so we should help you get up there. |

Luke spoke again after a moment, noticing that Nick looked absolutely confused by the kid's behavior. "Hey, we get you, kid. If ya say you're gonna be okay climbin' the ladder, then I'm not gonna force you t' let us help. Just be careful, all right? And I promise that I got you if somethin' does happen and you slip down from it."

 _ **(?) Christopher will remember that.**_

"Okay. I'll go now, then." Christopher smiled brightly and grabbed onto one side of the ladder with his good arm. He managed to place both of his feet onto the rungs, and slowly pulled himself up. Luke did not know how the boy managed to ascend the wall with just one arm holding onto the rail, but he did it. Slowly but surely. Nick began to climb the ladder afterwards, while Luke waited below, arms outstretched in case something did happen to either of them.

Christopher turned his head back once he reached the rooftop. "You look really weird like that, mister Luke!"

"Really? 'Cause I can't see exactly what I look like right now from all the way down here." Luke chuckled.

"You know, it's really really really really high up here! I can see so much stuff from up here! I can see my school and the library too! And the park! Oh, and you don't have to keep doin' that, because I'm okay. And it looks really funny."

"Hey, I gotta make sure Nick gets up there all right, don't I? What kinda friend would I be if I let him get hurt?" Luke teased. Though, it was definitely true that there were times where it felt like he was almost like his best friend's caretaker, especially when they had been younger.

"Yeah, right." Luke could imagine Nick rolling his eyes as he pulled himself up.

 _ **(O) Climb ladder**_

Before he began climbing the ladder to meet Nick and Christopher, Luke shot a glance back at the fence, which seemed to still be standing. He could not hear the infectees pounding on it anymore, so he assumed that they had given up and moved on. Luke took hold of the rungs and began ascending the structure. Nick offered him a hand and pulled him up once he reached the rooftop.

"They're down there, in the street, just walkin' around," Nick mentioned, pulling Luke over to the edge facing the interior of the quarantined neighborhood. They both gazed over the short railing, noticing that the infected victims seemed to be wandering around aimlessly.

"Looks like she's given up on tryin' to break down that fence." Luke pointed at the woman they could both recognize, who was stumbling around pointlessly. It seemed like she had no clear goals in mind as to where she was going or what she was trying to do, other than finding a way to reach Luke, Nick, and Christopher.

"You know… We need a name for 'em, don't we?" Nick said.

"Well, I guess so. You got any suggestions, Nick?"

Nick shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, it seems like they don't get much done except for walkin' around until they notice someone… Uh... 'Walker?' I can't think of anything else." He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

* * *

[ NAME THEM WALKERS ]

 _ **[ NAME THEM SOMETHING ELSE ]**_

* * *

"Honestly, that sounds pretty lame, Nick. Is 'walker' really the best you can come up with?"

"No. But you come up with somethin' then if I suck that much at bein' creative." Nick scowled.

"Uh, well… Fine. I was maybe thinkin' somethin' like 'lurker,' you know?" Luke suggested. It was obvious that he had just made that up on the spot.

 _ **(?) You didn't have any better ideas, so you named them lurkers.**_

"Are you kiddin' me, Luke? That's pretty much the exact same dumb name, asshole." Nick rolled his eyes.

"Admit it, at least it sounds better than 'walker.' I mean, that sounds like we're talkin' about those things old people gotta use to walk, y'know?" Luke argued. "Even if it means pretty much the same thing, at least 'lurker' sounds cooler and it's got a more sinister feel to it, and that ain't up for debate."

"'Lurker' is better than 'walker!'" Christopher interjected, after which he went back to admiring the view.

"Okay, fine. You win again, Luke," Nick said.

"It's always nice when ya admit it." Luke smiled smugly.

Nick shook his head and sighed, turning away from Luke. "Damnit."

Luke furrowed his eyebrows. "What's the problem now, Nick? You still wanna call 'em 'walkers?' 'Cause that ain't gonna happen long as I'm around. Sorry, man." He let out a chuckle.

"No, it ain't that… I dunno. I guess hearin' us talk about them like that, like they ain't one of us, I'm not sure what it's gonna make us into. I mean, are they still people? Even if they got infected with whatever the hell it is and we know they're fuckin' crazy and dangerous to be around, don't ya think there's still somethin' there, man?" Nick asked.

 _ **| I don't know. |**_

| Yes. |

| No. |

| … |

Luke responded, "Honestly, I really don't know, Nick. The only thing that we can really be certain on is that whatever's gotten into these people, it makes them act outta control. And until there's a cure found out, all we can do is learn how t' best protect ourselves in case somethin' goes wrong. Trust me, I wanna see a way to fix this as much as you do. But I'm also pretty sure that ain't gonna be exactly soon, unless we got a miracle or some divine intervention workin' on our part, ya know?"

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

"Yeah." Nick exhaled. "I know we're gonna find a way like we always do. But it's still a lot t' think about. I mean, just a week and a half ago, I thought that it looked like things would always be the same for you and me, but then shit hit the fan and everything's changed real fast since then."

"It's been hard for all of us to get adjusted to this," Luke noted.

"I guess some people just take it better or worse than others." Nick shook his head. "It's pointless talkin' about this stuff right now. Let's just get down to whatever it is we're gonna do here… Shit. Where'd Chris go? He was right there, wasn't he?"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck. I told 'im to just stick with us…" Luke's eyes darted around frantically, trying to determine where Christopher might have run off to. Then he saw the kid happily waving at them from the adjacent building, having crossed the flimsy bridge spanning the alley.

"Hurry up!" Christopher said, bouncing up and down.

"Yeah, yeah. Just… let us get over there, kiddo. And don't do that again," Luke reprimanded.

"We really suck at takin' care of kids, don't we?" Nick chuckled. "I feel sorry for your future kids. Least I don't gotta worry about that kinda stuff."

 _ **| Only because you'd never have the chance. |**_

| You never know what might happen. |

"Only 'cause you'd never be able t' find somebody to have 'em with," Luke teased.

"Real funny." Nick still grinned back at him.

"Hey, you gotta admit there's at least some truth to that," Luke folded his arms smugly.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, whatever." Nick he began to cross their old bridge. "Funny how we were just here last week again, ain't it? Maybe we oughta make this a regular thing from now on, honestly," he mentioned, blushing.

"It's fun comin' up here and just screwin' around like we used to, but we've obviously got other things that're a bit more urgent." Luke started to make his way across. The alley wasn't particularly long, but they took their time, considering how the bridge had always been rather flimsy.

And it didn't require much weight to cause the thing to buckle under Luke's feet.

 _ **/!\ Grab something!**_

"Shit!" The slender planks snapped apart underneath him.

"Fuck, grab somethin', Luke!"

 _ **(O) Grab ledge**_

As the bridge gave way, Luke groped around frantically, trying to grab the ledge of one of the buildings. But his efforts were in vain, and he plummeted down on top of the wooden boards. He was grateful for having landed above the old bridge, but it was evident that wasn't the only issue at hand. Aside from what seemed to be a bruised arm and leg, the commotion that Luke had made appeared to have drawn attention to him. He could hear Nick frantically muttering expletives from above.

"Get the hell up, man! You got their fuckin' attention or somethin'!" Nick shouted.

"Please, please be okay!" Christopher said.

It surprisingly hurt Luke to look up. While he had not been pinned down or anything by the bridge, he had managed to bruise himself rather badly in the process of falling about three stories.

 _ **(Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (E)**_

Somehow, Luke was able to pull himself up and get back onto his two feet. Two of the infected were approaching him from the other end of the alley. Unfortunately, the very fence that had protected them until now turned the narrow passage into a dead end. Luke shook his head and quickly came to the conclusion that he would have to fight his way out of this.

"I can't fuckin' believe this… Damnit. I can't do this." Luke gingerly reached for the pistol and tried to line up a decent shot, but his hands were shaking. Neither he nor Nick had ever been particularly good shots. Luke, because he had never been too fond of firearms in the first place. And Nick, well, Nick never seemed to improve his marksmanship despite how often he tried to practice.

Before he pulled the trigger, he felt Nick's arm brush against him. He temporarily lowered the gun and looked up at the other man.

"What the hell are you doin' down here, Nick?" Luke asked.

"I'm not gonna let you get fuckin' killed right here, asshole." Nick pulled out his gun.

"I know that. Just… I'm tryin' to aim straight at her," Luke said. He shivered.

 _ **(O) Shoot lurker**_

Luke fired a single bullet at the woman, but he had aimed too low. Despite it seemingly going straight through her neck, she continued lumbering towards the two. "Shit!" he cursed. He frantically wasted another two bullets before the woman was actually down. One futilely hit her chest. Meanwhile, Nick managed to eliminate their other assailant with two bullets. Nick had narrowly grazed the side of his head with the first bullet, but managed to score a clean headshot on the second try.

And there was a tense silence afterwards. It took the greater half of a minute for them to catch their breaths again. So many thoughts were running through Luke's mind, but the most prominent being the fact that he had just shot a woman. Even if they had decided on dehumanizing the infected "lurkers," there was still doubt in Luke's mind that it had been really necessary to kill them. While it was an act of self-defense, just like bashing that woman's nose in had been, that did not mean it felt any better or that the two men's consciences were any more relieved from the burden of what still felt like a cold-blooded murder.

Another minute must have passed by the time that Luke managed to look back at Nick again, who appeared just as turmoiled as he did. Neither man spoke for another few minutes. The only sounds that could be heard were a mockingbird taunting them and what seemed to be the moaning of another infectee.

"We just killed somebody, didn't we?" Nick finally said.

Luke just nodded his head.

"Fuck... I mean-"

"It... it was in self-defense," Luke tried to justify.

"I... I guess." Nick looked around the alley and decided to kick an old box. "Damnit. I can't... I can't fuckin' believe this."

They stood there idly for another thirty seconds. Luke and Nick would have probably remained frozen if it weren't for Christopher screaming from above. Thankfully, that was enough to get the two men to spring into action again. There was no time for them to dwell on their actions with the child in danger.

Neither of them said anything as they rushed into the building. There was another "lurker" wandering around the first floor of what had been another shop. He seemed to pick up on Luke and Nick and began lumbering towards them. Luke decided there was no point in wasting ammunition on him when Christopher's attacker could probably use the bullet to the head more than him. Unfortunately, when Nick rattled the door handle, it did not budge.

Nick muttered something inaudible and began kicking the door violently.

"Get it open. I'll keep 'im off our backs," Luke instructed, his voice dry and emotionless.

"Yeah." It sounded like the lock's mechanism was coming apart, fortunately.

 _ **(O) Shoot**_

(X) Find another weapon

Luke raised his pistol again, preparing himself to shoot. But he found it immensely difficult to actually pull the trigger again, and hesitated. Before he could actually get the opportunity to fire at the thing, an antique bayonet appeared from the doorway, jabbing the man directly in the skull. He was stunned immediately and seemingly went down.

In his dazed state, Luke could not immediately recognize their savior. He was simply grateful that he hadn't had to kill another one of them today. One murder was probably enough for a lifetime. Or, at least, enough for today. This was clearly not going to be something that Luke and Nick would be able to get used to immediately.

 _ **| Pete? |**_

| Who's there? |

| Fuck. |

| … |

"Pete?" Luke hoped. If it had been somebody else, who knew what they might to do them?

"Damnit! Makin' me save your asses, you boys..." That voice confirmed it was Pete.

"Uncle Pete?" Nick was just as confused as Luke was.

"Don't look at me, son. Get that damn door open," Pete ordered.

Nick just nodded and managed to break open the locked door with another firm kick. The three of them ran upstairs as fast as they could, and at the top of the stairwell, they found two more of them pounding on the door leading to the rooftop. Luke could only hope that meant that Christopher was fine, if they were all trapped inside the building.

Pete gave himself a few seconds to catch his breath and then calmly aimed his old rifle at the two. He eliminated the taller woman with a single bullet and deftly stabbed her accomplice with the bayonet immediately afterwards. The old man made it seem so easy and simple, somehow.

Luke tried to shrug off his discomfort at how Pete seemed so casual about the whole ordeal and just followed him up to the rooftop.

Christopher was sitting in a corner with his arms wrapped around his legs, looking absolutely petrified. He didn't even seem to recognize that Luke, Nick, and Pete were there now and that he was okay. Luke sighed and slowly walked towards the boy, offering him his hand.

"Hey, Chris? It's us," Luke tried to sound reassuring, but his voice still quavered.

"The boy probably just needs some time, Luke," Pete said.

Christopher didn't say anything yet, and the two men were still visibly distraught by everything.

Pete folded his arms. "Caitlin told me you two were plannin' on comin' here and playin' detective or whatever the hell it was y'all were thinkin', and that you'd brought Chris here with you. She asked me to make sure y'all were okay, and there was no way in hell was I gonna let you two get yourselves and the kid killed just for bein' plain stupid." For some reason, he did not seem at all fazed by killing the "lurkers." The neutral expression on his face did not betray any weakness or hesitation that Luke could detect.

Neither Luke nor Nick could really respond. Didn't Pete understand that having to kill was rather unsettling? Even if it had been in self-defense and saved their lives, that did not make it any easier to do. At the moment, Luke thought there would never be a way to get "used" to this.

"Well?"

 _ **| Sorry. Just trying to process everything. |**_

| How are you so calm? |

| Let us take a moment to calm down, okay? This isn't easy. |

| … |

Luke shuddered. "We're jus'... tryin' to process everything here."

Pete nodded his head, and then glanced down at his rifle and muttered something, throwing it violently onto the floor. He looked back up at his nephew and Luke, seeming to have sympathy for the two. "I get it. This ain't right. It's FUBAR." He noticed that Luke and Nick were confused. "Fucked up beyond all recognition. Or reason. Depends on the context," he clarified.

Nick stammered. "Y-yeah."

"Y'all think Chris is gonna be okay?" Pete asked. "Poor kid… Those things must've given him a real fright."

 _ **| I don't know. |**_

| I hope so. |

Luke shrugged his shoulders. "I… I don't know. Maybe Cait was right about lettin' him come 'n help us. But he was so enthusiastic, I just couldn't bring myself to turn him down. Though I wouldn't have let him come if I knew we were actually gonna… do that. I'm not sure why we figured nothin' bad could happen."

"Let's just be grateful that at least your sister was actually wise enough t' lemme know what you boys were plannin' on. I'd say, so far, she's provin' herself to be smarter than you two knuckleheads when it comes to dealin' with this little predicament we're all in." Pete let out a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I guess. She's become real intelligent, definitely." Luke awkwardly faked some laughter just to make it seem like he was doing better than he actually was. Nick paced around behind the two, probably trying to calm himself down.

"You oughta go talk to Chris. He knows you the best outta any of us," Pete suggested.

"All right."

Luke carefully approached the child again. This time, Christopher actually looked up at him.

"Did you and Nick and Mr. Pete have to do that?" he asked.

 _ **| I'm sorry, but we had to. |**_

| I don't know. |

| I don't think so. |

| … |

"I… uh, we had to, Chris. I'm real sorry you had to see that from up there," Luke said. He tried to make his voice sound as comforting as he could. "Trust me, nobody wants to have t' do somethin' like that, but it was something that we really did have to do. Or else you and me and Nick could've gotten hurt."

"Why? Can't we just leave the 'lurkers' alone and get away from them so they don't hurt us and we don't have to hurt them? That's what my dad's doin'. He says that he's gonna look for someplace safe for me and everybody else to go so that we don't have to be scared of what's happenin'. I don't want to be scared anymore."

Luke sat down next to Christopher and put his hand on the kid's shoulder. "I'm hopin' the same thing as you, you know that? I don't wanna hurt anybody just as much as you don't want to. And if there's a way we can get by without ever havin' to deal with the lurkers again, then you bet we're all gonna take it."

Christopher nodded. "When my dad gets back, we should all go with him. I know that he can find someplace for everyone. And that way, I won't have to be scared. And you and Nick won't have to be scared either. But I'm scared that he won't come back."

 _ **| He'll come back. |**_

| I hope he comes back. |

"Hey, don't worry, Chris. Uh, I bet he'll be back before we know it," Luke assured.

 _ **(?) Christopher will remember that.**_

Christopher stood up. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I said I'm okay." Christopher paused. "I think. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm as okay as I can be, given the circumstances," Luke supposed. He was thankful that talking with Christopher seemed to help him forget about what had just happened. There was something which he thought was special about the kid, but he couldn't quite describe what that was yet.

Christopher asked, "Can we go home now? I think that was really enough for today."

"Sure… It's been a lot to deal with. And, I guess we can get some space to jus' put all the pieces together," Luke said, getting up. Christopher grabbed his hand and smiled, leading the man back over to Pete and Nick. Pete was sitting down, inspecting his rifle, while Nick leaned against the wall.

"You two doin' all right?" Pete asked, standing up.

 _ **| We're okay now. |**_

| Not really. |

Luke attempted a smile. "Yeah. We're good now."

Pete raised an eyebrow. "Ya know, Luke, you've never been that good a liar. Or it's just me after dealin' with so much bullshit. Sorry, Chris."

"Well, I guess we're doin' the best we can, then," Luke corrected himself.

"I ain't blamin' you. It's difficult havin' to deal with things like this. And it's hard to keep on bein' the same person that you were before once they happen," Pete explained.

"I get that."

"How do you do it?" Nick asked, making that the first time he'd talked since Pete bailed them out.

Pete suddenly froze for a second, but quickly regained his composure. "I won't bother explainin' myself, because you three boys shouldn't have to do anythin' like that again… Don't roll your damn eyes at me, boy!"

"What? If you're not gonna bother helpin', then I don't see the point in listenin'," Nick argued.

"Nick, maybe you oughta think about it and realize that there's a damn good reason I'm not gonna tell y'all any more right now and I probably never will," Pete said sternly. That seemed to shut him up. "Now, we're all gonna go home right now and we're gonna try 'n get some rest after all this." He didn't wait for them to follow him downstairs.

"Asshole," Nick muttered. Luke knew that sometimes it was futile trying to reason with Nick when he was angry, so he didn't bother.

Thankfully, they all managed to evade the remaining lurkers without a fight, using an open window as their method of getting out of the quarantined neighborhood. Christopher decided to go with Pete, leaving Nick and Luke together.

"What's this gonna turn us into?" Nick asked.

Luke sighed. "I really don't know, Nick. I don't know."


	19. New Faces

**EPISODE TWO:** _ **The Prodigal Son**_

 _Part 7: New Faces_

* * *

The two men had been sitting inside of their old Civic for several minutes now. After what had happened, it didn't seem like either of them felt like it was possible to just go home and try to forget. So they just sat there, hoping that somehow the memory would just disappear and they could get on with their lives. If they could just forget about this forever, that would be just fine by them.

Nick began rummaging through the glove compartment and finally said something. "You know what the weirdest part about this is, man?"

"What?" Luke asked.

"That I think I can live with myself somehow," Nick responded.

Luke paused apprehensively before saying anything. "Well, we gotta live with it, Nick. We did what we had to so we could protect ourselves and Chris," Luke tried to justify. "There wasn't gonna be another way outta that situation, at least not one that we coulda thought about right then."

"I know that. But it still doesn't feel right how we can just shoot 'em in the fuckin' face and actually feel pretty, uh, numb about it. I don't know how to explain it. I guess I would've expected some fucked up shit like this to sorta get to us a lot more than it looks like it has."

"I guess it might be some time before we really understand what just happened," Luke supposed.

Nick found the half-empty Budweiser he had been looking for. "It happened real fast, didn't it?" he said.

"I'm gonna assume it was our adrenaline that kicked in and it was over, just like that. No real time to think about what was goin' on and what we were doin' until we'd already been done with it." Luke eyed the beer bottle, though he obviously wasn't going to have a shot just yet. It seemed like he'd be their designated driver from now on since they couldn't exactly rely on public transportation anymore and Nick was quite frankly a terrible driver, even while sober.

"Yeah." Nick shrugged, and then took a swig of the beer. He'd often argue that he just needed a slight buzz most of the time to get by. "You wanna just get away and forget about it all for the night?" he asked.

"Whaddaya mean by that?"

"Just somethin' t' keep our minds off of things." Nick swirled the bottle tantalizingly.

 _ **| Sure. |**_

| We really should just get back home. |

Luke smirked. He did think he could use some fun drinking and being up to no good to destress after today. "Sure. Jus' call our folks and let 'em know that we ain't gonna be back tonight. Say that we're just real on edge after today and need a break. It's the truth, ain't it?"

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

"You forgot, man? My phone ain't workin' anymore. Try yours," Nick said.

Luke flipped open the cover to his phone. It was brand-new, so he hoped that it might still work. For some reason, he decided to dial his sister first, probably because he assumed that she would be more understanding than Pete or either of their mothers for some reason.

" _No available service towers. Your cell phone is not connected to the service,"_ the monotone voice responded.

"Shit," Luke cursed under his breath. "Hey, Nick? Looks like whatever keeps the cell phones workin's gone down. I'm willin' to bet that's what went wrong… Probably been like this for a while now, and we didn't notice."

Nick muttered, "Damnit. Pete 'n mom are just gonna be pissed if we fuck around without lettin' them know. I don't need their damn lectures after we had to fuckin' shoot somebody today. I don't even get how Pete was able to just kill them like it was nothin'."

 _ **| What didn't Pete tell us right now? |**_

| It's strange how he was so calm about it. |

| We're going to have to become like him eventually. |

| … |

"Hey, you got any idea about what he wasn't tellin' us up there?" Luke asked. "I know he really flipped out on ya, but I think it might be important to know what's goin' on with your uncle. Might have somethin' to do with how he just gunned 'em down like it was nothin'."

Nick shrugged. "I dunno, man. I just know he and mom've been keepin' somethin' a secret for a real long time. I'd noticed that there were a few times back when we were in school where I'd say somethin', then Pete just freezes there for a second like he's fuckin' traumatized and mom looks at him like she's worried, and then he'd just go back to normal and act like nothin's wrong and make up some bullshit excuse to gimme a lecture on. Probably just so he can forget whatever the hell it is."

 _ **| We should be understanding of him. |**_

| That's suspicious. |

| We need to figure out what that secret might be. |

| … |

"You know, we really oughta try and be a bit more understandin' with him. I'm gonna bet that whatever he's kept a secret has gotta be somethin' real serious," Luke supposed. He did have sympathy for the old man. Much like his father, Luke could tell that Pete (and Sharon for that matter) had probably not had a particularly easy life. But he couldn't fathom anything that might explain his outburst, or how cold he'd turned while fighting the "lurkers." It had felt so unlike the nice and humorous second father that Luke was familiar with.

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

"Well, he doesn't have to be such an asshole about it," Nick responded indignantly. "I mean, let him go and see a fuckin' shrink or somethin' if he's really so screwed up by his past."

"C'mon, man. Don't be like that." Luke frowned.

Nick groaned and rolled his eyes again. "Will you lighten up about the way me and Pete act with each other? I know he fuckin' loves you, but you never saw how ridiculous he and mom could get when you weren't around. I don't wanna fuckin' take it anymore from them, but I know they'd track my ass down anyways, so it's all pointless."

| I'm sorry. |

 _ **| You could at least try. |**_

| I understand. |

| … |

"Nick, it's never gonna get better unless you at least try and make an effort to fix things and act right," Luke said. Nick probably wouldn't appreciate that, but he felt it was the truth.

While Pete and Sharon had always made excessive demands of him, Nick constantly rebelling and acting out against them certainly did not make things any better for anybody.

 _ **(?) Nick didn't take that well.**_

"Yup. I sure am glad my best friend has my back," Nick retorted sarcastically.

"Listen t' me for once, man. I ain't sayin' it's all your fault; Pete and your mom are just as much t' blame for everything. The problem is that if even one of you doesn't try to work things out, there's never gonna be any progress. So just think about that." Luke didn't mean to raise his voice, but he did find the constant arguments between Nick and his family irritating after two decades of the same stories.

"You know, maybe I don't really care anymore about them or what they fuckin' think. Maybe they can just go screw themselves for all I care." Nick downed the rest of the bottle. He threw the empty bottle out the car window in frustration, but chuckled to himself when the glass shattered against a wall.

 _ **| That's not true. |**_

| If you say so. |

| Yeah, you're right. |

| … |

"You and me both know that ain't true," Luke said.

Nick gritted his teeth. "Can you just drop me off at the bar or somethin' instead of lecturin' me, _Pete?_ Maybe I'll go and have fun by myself since all of a sudden, you seem determined to make a shitty day even shittier. It ain't easy havin' to shoot somebody in the fuckin' face and then now havin' you remind me about how messed up my family is. I already know I'm fucked up and an asshole. Pete and mom make sure I know that. I'd really just like to get drunk and forget for the night and maybe find somebody else to have fun with."

Luke sighed. He should have known better than to bring up Nick's relationship with his family at a time like this. "All right. I'll stop talkin' about 'em."

Nick smiled appreciatively. "This sounds fuckin' pathetic, but you promise that? No more talkin' about Pete or mom for the rest of the night?"

"Yeah. No problem."

"You think there's a chance we can just forget about today and let things get back to normal?" Nick asked. "I mean, forget about shootin' people. Pretend that it never happened and we're just the two dumbasses we always were."

 _ **| Maybe. Maybe not. |**_

| Yes. |

| No. |

| … |

Luke shrugged. "Maybe we can, maybe not. Just in case it's a while before things start gettin' better, we gotta keep our guards up... But you know I'm hopin' just as much as you are that this'll be a one time thing."

 _ **(?) Nick will remember that.**_

"As dumb as it sounds, I'm kinda worried about turnin' cold like Pete. Look at how we're jus' talkin' about all this shit right now, like we're over it that easily," Nick said.

Luke placed his hand on Nick's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about that. We'll still be us, and nothin's ever gonna change that. If ya need me to give an example, we're still gonna crash that old bar and get wasted and have a blast, like we always did, and we always will. Even if it _is_ the end of the world, we don't have t' let it change us."

"I hope so, man. I still don't get how I really feel about this… I dunno if we're really feelin' guilty or bad about the shit that just went down, or if we're just worried about what might happen afterwards, like somebody's gonna find out and come after us for some reason."

"I really don't know. I'm sorry I can't really think of much t' say 'bout that."

"Me neither. I just hope we'll make it through this," Nick said.

"I mean, long as we all make sure nobody else gets hurt or sick, I'm pretty sure we'll make it," Luke reassured.

Nick agreed, "I guess we _are_ pretty lucky, aren't we? We got outta the city when we did, even though we didn't know what was goin' on, and the plague ain't completely overtaken our town yet like it's done a lotta other towns. And I guess we can head up to Pete's if somethin' goes wrong."

"Yeah, yeah, exactly. I like it when you actually try 'n think on the bright side of things," Luke said.

"Yeah, I guess." Nick shrugged, looking down at his lap. "I just wish it was easier… Whatever. Can ya start drivin'? I'm pretty sure I'm goin' through withdrawal or some shit already."

Luke let out a chuckle. "Ya know, maybe we oughta turn ourselves in to Alcoholics Anonymous."

"You already know there's no way I'm ever gonna give up booze." Nick was actually laughing again.

"You got a point there. So, let's just get drunk and forget for the night, all right?" Luke grinned, starting the engine. He pulled out of the parking lot and began steering back towards the town's main street.

"We both really need it after a fucked-up day like today." Nick stretched out his beige arm and dangled it outside the car window.

Luke said, "Let's just hope a pay phone or somethin' still works so mom can come 'n take us back home afterwards. And I'm not gonna call your folks, of course. If that don't work, I guess we could try walkin' all drunk in the middle of the night 'n pick up the car in the morning."

"Sounds good."

He'd already made up his mind by then to forgo being sober tonight. Linda would probably shake her head in disapproval at having to pick up her drunk son and his best friend and take them home, but she had always been understanding and compassionate of her son. Luke anticipated a short talk about how alcohol was fine, but only in moderation, and how he should always tell her in advance about going out and drinking with Nick so that she could know to pick them up when they were done. You had to love mothers like her.

* * *

There was something unsettling about half of main street being abandoned. The deserted shops and businesses stood out to Luke among the diminishing number of buildings that were actually still inhabited. It didn't help that it was almost dusk, adding to the forlorn and abandoned impression the dark town gave him.

"Closed," Nick muttered, pointing out a dilapidated bar.

"Yeah."

"Also closed."

"I don't need you narrating," Luke said.

Nick ignored him. "Hey, that one's still open, asshole. I think we've been there a few times."

Luke parked the car parallel to the street, right in front of the bar. The lights were on, and he could make out a group of people inside, who seemed to be having a good time. "Good, they're normal people in there," Luke said to himself.

"You need somethin' to pregame with?" Nick unsheathed another half-full bottle from the glove compartment. This time it was whiskey.

"This ain't a college party or a concert. Not like we gotta walk in the door already buzzed, man." Luke chuckled.

"Yeah, but I wasn't able to, y'know, gather up enough money from mom's wallet to make sure we get a hundred percent wasted tonight. I figured she'd notice if I took too much. So, we might as well, since there ain't a point if we're only half-drunk by the end of the night." Nick unscrewed the cap and downed what was probably more than just a shot. He handed it to Luke, who happily took a quick sip. "All right. Now we're ready," Nick said.

They exited their car, but before they entered the venue, the bright headlights of another car approaching blinded them. A burgundy truck came to a halt in front of the two and made a pathetic attempt to parallel park. Luke squinted, but he couldn't make out who was inside.

Somebody rolled down the shotgun window. They shouted, "You two friendly? We ain't lookin' for any trouble, now. Just need some help here." His voice seemed friendly enough.

"Alvin, _please!"_ a woman hissed. She didn't sound particularly eager to deal with strangers. Luke thought he heard the man say something to calm her down.

Nick nudged Luke and pushed him forwards, probably hoping he'd cover for the two of them. Luke knew that Nick could come across as uninviting at times, and that he was generally the far more charismatic one of the two.

 _ **| We're cool. |**_

| Do you two need help? |

| Don't try anything, and we'll leave you two alone. |

| … |

"Uh, we're cool. Not lookin' for any sorta trouble, either," Luke responded.

 _ **(?) They will remember that.**_

"Well, that's good to hear," the man said. The woman protested again, but Luke couldn't hear her this time. A large, bespectacled black man got out of the driver's seat and came up to greet the two men. He briefly looked back at the kinky-haired woman sitting inside. "It's gonna be fine, Bec. Things are lookin' up now."

The woman shot Luke and Nick a glare from inside the car, now that they could see her scowl being illuminated by the lights. "You'd better be right about this," she warned the man. He just sighed and turned back to Luke.

"What's her problem?" Nick groaned.

"Sorry about Becca. It's just been insane these past, what, two weeks or so? But that means it's a real relief for me to come across decent-lookin' people like you two." The black man extended his hand towards Luke. "Anyway, the name's Alvin, and my wife here's Rebecca. Our friend George's also followin' behind us with these guys who helped us out."

Luke gingerly shook Alvin's hand. It was a bit unsettling having a complete stranger pull up next to him and Nick and start talking to them. "Well, I'm Luke. It's a pleasure to meet ya," he said, trying to sound as accommodating as possible.

"It's Nick." He folded his arms.

"He usually like this?" Alvin asked, seeming disheartened by Nick's attitude.

"No! Just… he's not good with strangers. Yeah." Luke laughed awkwardly and jabbed the side of Nick's torso with his elbow, who gave him an exasperated look in return. While he understood that Nick took a while to open up to anybody, Luke didn't appreciate him making things harder on them or inadvertently provoking a fight. "Lemme do the talkin' here," he whispered harshly into Nick's ear, who just rolled his eyes at him.

"Trust me, I completely get it. I'm gonna assume you two've been through a lot too," Alvin said.

| Yeah. We've seen a lot. |

 _ **| I don't think we've seen as much as you two. |**_

| Actually, we don't know what's going on. |

| … |

Luke replied, "I guess you could say that, but I don't think we've seen as much as you and your wife there've gone through. If I'm honest, it's actually been real peaceful here, compared to what we know's been goin' on back in the big cities and other places."

 _ **(?) Alvin will remember that.**_

"Yeah, I figured that much. I'm surprised t' see you still even got electricity here. Those power lines still work for y'all?" Alvin asked.

Luke's eyes widened. "Where are y'all from, if ya don't mind me askin'? You're sayin' you 'n your wife didn't even have power anymore? And here I was, thinkin' we had it bad 'cause our cellphones don't work anymore."

"Atlanta. You bet we got the hell outta there once we had the chance," Alvin responded.

"Really? 'Cause we'd actually been livin' down there for 'bout two years now. Just happened to come back home right when all this started, for a completely different reason. We didn't know anything about the plague 'till after we got back here, and it's actually been pretty quiet here compared to what we saw on the news before the stations went down," Luke explained.

"You and your friend probably didn't see the worst of it. Those evacuation centers they got set up everywhere in the cities? Yeah, more like death traps. We were lucky to get out when we could… It's difficult to think about the things we'd seen go on in there." Alvin shivered.

A black sedan approached the bar then. It was actually quite expensive-looking, though Luke couldn't recognize the brand. Perhaps Nick would know.

A loud, boisterous voice from the shotgun seat called out to Alvin. "Hey, these guys ain't assholes?"

"Don't worry about it, man. They're cool," Alvin responded. "Yeah, that's George in the car, with these people we left Atlanta with. If it wasn't for those guys, I think me and Becca here might've been goners. They definitely saved our asses," he told Luke.

"Nice car," Nick complimented.

"That ain't George's. It belongs to Daniel over there and his friend," Alvin said, pointing to the timid-looking man in the driver's seat. "They're the ones who bailed our asses outta the city, so we definitely owe 'em. They offered to stick around for the time being."

George lumbered towards the other men and interrupted the conversation. He was stocky and dark-skinned, like Alvin. "So, you two really ain't assholes?" He raised an eyebrow disdainfully and squinted, as if he were inspecting the two men.

 _ **| No, we're cool. |**_

| Just don't mess with us. |

| What's it to you? |

| … |

"No. Like I said, we're cool," Luke responded, trying to remain calm. He didn't particularly appreciate George's attitude, though.

"Yeah. Don't get worked up about meetin' new people, George. I think we'd have figured out by now if Luke and, uh…" Alvin paused for a second. "... _his friend_ here weren't exactly friendly." Nick's scowl intensified at that.

"You sure about the kid here?" George asked disparagingly.

Luke tried to defend Nick. "I swear, he ain't-"

"-You know, screw these guys," Nick interrupted. "If you and yer _friends_ over there want help, don't fuckin' expect anything from me. Maybe my pushover friend Luke's gonna still give in, though," he spat, rolling his eyes.

"I… We didn't mean to be rude with you two," Alvin tried to pacify the situation. "Some directions from here was all we were lookin' for, and maybe a decent place to stock up on supplies. Though we'd need a good place to help this injured guy in the other car. We already got the medicine and all, of course." Alvin then glared at George, who acted like he didn't understand why Nick might be so irritated. At least George seemed to get the memo to shut up.

 _ **| I'll help you and your group. |**_

| You should just look somewhere else. |

"It's fine, I get it. I'm still willin' to help y'all here," Luke offered. Nick just gave the two men another dirty look and stomped inside the bar. Luke did feel apprehensive now that Alvin had mentioned that their group included a sick person. If they were infected by the plague, who knew how long it would be before they became a "lurker?"

 _ **(?) They will remember that.**_

Alvin gave Luke an appreciative smile. "Thanks. It means a lot that you'd be willin' to help us out, given that we all just met. You really don't have a clue how much it does."

"Yeah. Thanks, kid," George said.

Luke shrugged. "Uh, don't mention it. I guess y'all can just follow me in the car. Our houses don't got much space, but it might work for the night long as y'all don't run into Nick or get him riled up again. His mom 'n uncle and my mom are all real nice people, so I'm hopin' they'll understand me bringin' you and your group home if they get that y'all are in need of some help."

Alvin nodded and smiled. He turned around back to the cars, explaining to the rest of their group what Luke had just told them.

Rebecca and another man came up to greet Luke. "Thanks" was all the black woman said. She still didn't seem willing to open up to him, and quickly went back to her husband's side.

The other man introduced himself and shook Luke's hand. "I am Daniel," he said. "Daniel Wong. Pleased to make your acquaintance in the meantime. My good friend Alicia and this other man we came across are still inside the car." He had a flat nose and smooth, ashen skin. The short man was also impeccably dressed, and Daniel's accent was distinctly not southern or that of a Yankee, but Luke couldn't put his finger on exactly where the man might be from.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet ya too. The name's Luke Porter," Luke responded eagerly. Daniel seemed amiable enough compared to George and Rebecca.

"I hope it is," Daniel said. "Just lead the way for us when you and your friend are ready… Nick, was it? I was eavesdropping from inside the car and caught his name too."

"Yep, that's our names all right." Luke smiled. It actually felt nice that somebody hadn't ignored Nick.

"Mind showin' us the way back to your folks' place now?" Alvin asked.

"Oh, sure. Jus' follow my lead. Our car's that old Civic right there," Luke said, pointing out the vehicle.

"All right." The members of Alvin's group then got back into their cars, waiting for Luke to direct them. When Luke sat down in his driver's seat, he was greeted by a clearly intoxicated Nick. He realized that he'd forgotten to check the bar for him.

"I'm kinda tired," Nick said, letting out a yawn. He opened a brand new bottle of whiskey, which Luke assumed he'd purchased while he had been talking with Alvin and his friends. The Jack Daniels he'd been drinking earlier lay empty inside the glove compartment.

"Might as well get some sleep, I guess." Luke started driving, and he hoped that Nick wasn't still angry at him.

"First... I'm gonna let myself get completely wasted. That way, I can forget about these assholes we just met, Pete bein' an asshole, you bein' an asshole, and you 'n me havin' to shoot those guys. I'll be too fuckin' hungover in the mornin' to remember anything that happened today," Nick said, downing another shot. "Jus'... carry me t' my room, I guess. I ain't a… uh, a fatass like you are." He was beginning to slur his speech.

"Just save a lil' bit for me from that bottle, all right? I think you could spare a few shot glasses' worth given how drunk you got yourself already," Luke said, laughing to himself. It wasn't often that he was sober and dealing with a drunk Nick. Usually, the two of them were equally as intoxicated.

Nick raised his hand and flipped Luke off, smiling mischievously.

Luke just chuckled at that and drove the rest of the way back to Nick's home, with Alvin's caravan in tow.


	20. Acquainting Oneself

**EPISODE TWO:** _ **The Prodigal Son**_

 _Part 8: Acquainting Oneself_

* * *

"No, no, please. Don't thank my son or me. It's fine, I mean it, sir. We're all desperate to know what's goin' on outside. And we're always willing to lend a hand when somebody's in need. Miss Sharon is also on her way now to help with whatever it is every last one of your group needs, and we'll try our best to make everybody feel comfortable for the time being."

Linda was reassuring Alvin's group that it really was fine for them to make a stop at the Porter residence for the night. Luke had dropped an intoxicated Nick back at his home, to Pete and Sharon's dismay. But Sharon had been surprisingly understanding of Nick getting drunk after Pete explained their day to her in private. Luke had hoped to take him up on his offer of getting wasted too, but that would have to wait now that Alvin and company were in need of his help.

"All right. But it really does mean a lot, missus. Your son here and you really are some lifesavers," Alvin said, smiling. He and Rebecca sat on the couch across from Linda and appeared to be already making themselves comfortable.

"You're too kind, sir," Linda said. "Just keep makin' yourselves at home while I go see about the man you said was injured… I think it's wonderful that you and your group helped him out too. Think of that as the way y'all can pay us back, if you must. We all just need to help one another out, and that's how we will all get through this."

"I suppose you've got a good point there," Alvin agreed.

"Of course." Linda walked upstairs to where Alicia and Daniel were tending to the sick man. George was already asleep inside Alvin's truck.

Luke had been silently lounging around at the dining table, overhearing his mother talking with Alvin and Rebecca. "Suppose I oughta check in on everybody and see how they're doin'. Especially Cait 'n Chris," he thought. He hadn't yet spoken to Caitlin or Christopher since their endeavor into the fenced-off neighborhood. Getting up from his seat, he could see the married couple at the couch still. Luke supposed he should definitely ask the two about their experience in the city and whatever information they might have about the exact workings of the plague.

 _ **(O) Talk to Alvin and Rebecca**_

When Luke sat down with Alvin and Rebecca, Alvin once again tried to thank Luke. He blew it off as nothing special. Alvin said, "I suppose we might as well explain more about what it's like outside. And trust me, you and your family are real wise to be stayin' back here."

Luke mentioned, "Yeah, Nick's uncle Pete warned us all against goin' back to the cities. Told us there was no way it was gonna be safer there than here with a buncha people gettin' all impatient. And I'm pretty sure it'd be real easy for the whole plague t' infect a whole lotta people like that."

Alvin sighed and put his arm around a worried-looking Rebecca. "It really was gettin' chaotic in there. Almost like a prison or somethin' the way it ended up goin'."

"Evacuation camp my ass," Rebecca grumbled. "I'd compare it to more of a concentration camp or something with the way it was being managed… Actually, it wasn't _that_ terrible. But it certainly wasn't no country club, though, that's for sure."

 _ **| What happened in there that was so bad? |**_

| Has the plague continued spreading? |

| What do you know about how the plague works? |

| What's your stories? |

Luke hesitated at asking what he assumed would be a difficult question to answer for Alvin and Rebecca. "So, uh, what happened inside of there that y'all say was that bad? I mean… If it was really too much to talk about, then you don't have t' explain it. I just really wanna know what's goin' on out there."

Rebecca took a deep breath at looked at her husband, who shrugged. She explained, "It was difficult, first of all. There were too many people there and nowhere near enough supplies or food for maybe even half the number of people that were all packed inside the airport. So we watched as people started gettin' all frustrated with the way things were going. They didn't have enough for anybody, they wouldn't tell us anything, and nobody could leave once they'd entered." Her voice still had a defensive tone to it when she spoke with Luke, as if she still didn't trust him entirely.

"Yeah." Alvin continued, "Can you believe we met a group of Russians of all places? Gettin' trapped here in the states 'cause of their plane bein' forced to make a stop in Atlanta… Most of them didn't even know how to speak English; they were just on one of their stops while gettin' back to wherever they were plannin' on going first, but their plane got stopped here before they could leave back for Russia, I'm assumin'. Anyways, that was a big issue: nobody could get outta there once they were admitted. They told us it was because things were too terrible out there, but things were gettin' pretty bad inside the camp too. When the military came in and started turnin' the place into a damn police state, it got bad. Like a damn prison or somethin'... We knew we had t' get outta there eventually. We met Daniel and Alicia, some real lifesavers, and Daniel made a plan to get us, George, and a whole lotta people all outta there. Most people went their own way after that."

"He seems like a pretty intelligent guy, that Daniel, doesn't he?" Luke had received that impression from his brief introduction to him. He seemed like a very knowledgeable and educated man to Luke.

"Definitely," Alvin said.

"I guess so. At the very least, his plan worked… I suppose," Rebecca said, sounding disconcerted about something.

 _ **[ Ask what happened ]**_

[ Don't press it ]

"Uh… Did somethin' happen when y'all got outta the camp? How'd ya get outta there?" Luke asked. "Just wonderin' is all."

"It's just that we don't know what happened to the people left in there. They could still be trapped inside or dead, or worse. And I would hate for something to have happened to those people if the plan hurt them, or the people in charge flipped out on them after what we did." Rebecca shivered.

Alvin clarified, "Dan's plan involved us findin' a way to make a hole of sorts for the dead t' come pilin' in at one end of the airport. We'd leave by makin' another hole at the other side of the buildin' right next to the parkin' lot and leavin' through that way while the military and guards were busy fightin' off the hordes comin' in from outside. Like he expected, all the chaos that came as a result was enough of a distraction that a big group of us escaped. While it was risky as hell, we managed to get into the parkin' structure quick and get into our cars safely, then we all floored it and went our separate ways. You'll never believe how many dead we saw in the streets… Dan and Alicia stuck around with us and George and the guy we helped out 'cause we're all just plannin' on goin' someplace more isolated while other people go 'n look for their friends or family. Figure either the mountains or someplace up north like Canada would be a good place to wait it out, if this mess is ever gonna get sorted."

"And that's why y'all are comin' this way? Them Appalachians are just right there," Luke said.

"Uh, I guess? Figure that's good enough. Close enough t' home, but pretty far away from anybody else, alive or dead."

 _ **| Has the plague continued spreading? |**_

| What do you know about how the plague works? |

| What's your stories? |

| Talk to you later. |

"Since it seems like there musta been a helluva lotta infected in the city, has the plague just continued spreadin'?" Luke asked. "Last we heard on the radio, all those big cities were pretty much overrun by the plague."

Alvin sighed. "I swear there was about a million of them roamin' around the streets pointlessly, just waitin' for somebody to pass by. That airport we were at? It was actually the only safe place in the entire city. The rest of Atlanta was either taken over by the dead or straight up in ruins. The fires caused by all the chaos probably took out probably half the town during the first few days. Jesus, if you'd seen it, all those buildings lookin' like skeletons, kinda like a graveyard of sorts." He paused, looking down. "I'm pretty sure it was some miracle that let us 'n Dan's group get out the way we did… I'll be honest, we actually had to run over a good number of the dead with our truck just to make it outta the city 'cause there was no path they or all the rubble weren't blockin'. That's why you might've seen the blood all over our bumper."

"Damn. I… I don't know what to say." Luke shook his head.

"Damn is right."

 _ **| What do you know about how the plague works? |**_

| What's your stories? |

| Talk to you later. |

"Uh, well, since y'all have clearly got a lot more experience than we do, do y'all know anything else about how it works?" Luke asked. "The plague, I mean."

Alvin gazed up at the ceiling, like he was trying to recollect his thoughts. "I don't think we know anything that you wouldn't. There hasn't really been any more research on the way the virus or whatever it is exactly works on people. I heard rumors that the CDC was supposedly workin' on a cure, actually, but I doubt it considerin' how so much of the city was destroyed."

"All right. Well, I'm gonna pray there's some smarter people out there that might be able to find a way t' fix this," Luke hoped. "Obviously we ain't no doctors or scientists here." Alvin nodded in agreement.

 _ **| What's your stories? |**_

| Talk to you later. |

"So, uh, not to be nosy or anythin', but I was sorta wonderin' about who you two were. I mean like what y'all did before things started goin' downhill," Luke said. "Or maybe I'm just tryin' to drive the conversation away from the depressing stuff," he supposed, laughing awkwardly.

Alvin let out a small chuckle, but Rebecca grabbed his arm apprehensively. He said, "Not much, I guess. You'd be pretty bored with our biographies, so, uh, I won't go into much detail… There's nothin' really special about us. I'd lived in Atlanta all my life, though Becca here was born in DC. We had pretty normal lives, and then we met in college and got married. We worked in the city in your typical day jobs. Bec here was a secretary at some office, while me and George worked at a repair shop.

"That's cool."

"What about you?"

Luke gazed upwards. "Well, uh, I'd lived here all my life. Had a pretty normal life, I guess. But I'd always wanted somethin' more, you know? So after college I decided I'd leave for the big city 'n drag along Nick with me. I thought we'd be able t' find somethin' more fulfilling there, but things hadn't yet worked out. I guess that ain't ever gonna happen now, and I'm back where I started."

"Maybe it's for the best," Rebecca said nonchalantly.

"I guess so. I was kinda an asshole for leavin'," Luke admitted.

"I can imagine," she said. "I've seen this story a hundred times by now: small-town guy or girl decides to leave everything behind and come to Atlanta to make it big, and just ends up realizin' maybe it wasn't all they made it out to be."

"Uh... yeah, right... I guess I'll go check on the others now." Luke supposed that was enough for now, so he got up from the couch. He didn't particularly appreciate Rebecca's comments, and he assumed they probably wanted some privacy for a while anyways. He also wanted to see how everybody else was doing after the day.

"Sure. It was nice talkin'," Alvin said warmly.

"Yeah, of course," Luke replied.

* * *

It still felt a bit strange for Luke to be in his old home again. Even though it had been nearly two weeks since he and Nick had returned home, he'd spent much of it hanging out with Nick in his bedroom or revisiting places around town. He supposed a part of that could have been due to the fact that his father wasn't around anymore. Every time he went downstairs or looked out the window, he expected to see John reading the paper or tending to the farmland behind the whitewashed house.

 _ **(O) Look at family portraits**_

Luke sighed, looking at the old photographs sitting on the bookshelf at the front entrance. There was a family portrait of Linda and John, a twelve-year-old Luke, and Caitlin as a toddler. "The weird thing is I almost can't even recognize myself, since it's been so long. Feels almost like a hundred years ago or somethin'. I wish things were still as simple as they were then," he thought. "I'm gonna try my best t' take care of 'em, dad."

Next to that picture was Linda and John's wedding portrait. "They sure do look a helluva lot younger there." He chuckled a bit.

 _ **(O) Use television**_

Luke shrugged and decided to turn on the television, only to be met by the same black and white static.

"Still no signals… I guess it might be the last of TV. Not that I'm really sad about that or anythin', since we never watched much TV anyways, but it woulda been nice to have the news still goin' on here… Maybe it's for the best," he said to himself.

 _ **(O) Look at bookshelves**_

There were more family pictures and trinkets occupying the space on the bookshelves that didn't have books already. Nothing particularly caugh Luke's eye.

"I guess I might actually become a reader for once if we really don't have much else to do in the meantime," he supposed. "But I can't see Nick with his head in a book unless somebody had a gun to his head or somethin', though.

 _ **(O) Look at graduation portrait**_

Luke smiled, looking over the picture of him and his family at his college graduation. Linda appeared even more excited than he was about the whole ordeal, while Caitlin shyly held her brother's hand. In contrast, John's smile looked almost forced. Luke knew that his father still hadn't yet gotten over his decision to major in what he had considered a "waste of money" at that time.

"I'm glad that dad at least told me he was happy that I did what I wanted in the end. It means a lot comin' from him," Luke thought.

 _ **(O) Go upstairs**_

He supposed he should have probably gone to check on the rest by now, so he climbed up the stairs. There were two bathrooms and three bedrooms: his parents', his sister's, and his own.

* * *

Luke could hear his mother talking with their guests inside his parents' bedroom. For some reason, it sounded important to him, so he decided to check in on them before Caitlin or Christopher, who he assumed were in her room. He warily opened the door and noticed his mother and Daniel helping a visibly ill man into his parents' bed. Another woman just stood there and looked at her nails, indifferent to them.

"Luke, could you please help us get him into the bed?" Linda asked, looking up at her son. "The poor man passed out already."

Luke nodded and tried to support the man from underneath. He wasn't particularly heavy, but certainly too much for his mother and Daniel, who appeared rather lanky and frail now that Luke had gotten a closer look at him.

 _ **(Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (E)**_

With Luke's help, they managed to rest the man down on the bed gently. Linda gently lifted his head and adjusted the pillows. Luke noticed the distressed expression on his mother's face as she tended to the pale and wan man.

"He honestly reminds me of dad," Luke thought. "He's got the same dirty blonde hair and he looks sick as hell too… This feels like seein' him back in that hospital all over again, and givin' him that overdose…" Luke sighed again. "Rest in peace, dad. Ya deserve it."

"I'm going downstairs to prepare something for our guests with Sharon, okay, Luke?" Linda said, interrupting Luke's thinking.

"Oh, all right, mom," he replied. Linda exited the room, leaving Luke with Daniel, the sick man, and the other woman.

"Thankfully, we managed to scavenge an abundance of antibiotics and other sorts of medicine while leaving Atlanta," Daniel mentioned, sitting down on one of Linda's armchairs. "I'm going to assume he just has some respiratory issue that's causing the coughing… No offense to him or anything, but he seems like the smoker type."

Luke looked at him questioningly.

"I'm kidding. It doesn't exactly work like that." Daniel smirked. The other woman who had been standing there gave him an exasperated look, which Daniel noticed. "What? Sorry, Miss Sensitive."

"No, it's fine. I just need some air, Danny," the woman replied. She was short and had pretty brown eyes. Her lips were painted a dark burgundy color, and her dark hair was tied into an effortlessly fashionable side bun. The woman's sense of style seemed even more trendy than Daniel's.

"Yeah… Of course," Daniel said. "Still love me?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question." She then left, striding pretentiously out of the room. Luke couldn't help himself from admiring her confident gait and the way her hips swayed from side to side.

 _ **| Who's she? |**_

| Is she okay? |

| What's her problem? |

| … |

"Uh, who's she?" Luke asked, feeling his cheeks redden. "She your girlfriend or somethin'?" He nudged Daniel jokingly, but then he noticed that Daniel was rather handsome himself, so he supposed it was a possibility that they actually were together.

"That diva is none other than the famous, or should I say infamous, Alicia… And we've known each other for a long time now, but it's not like that." Daniel elevated the man's injured leg onto a pillow and revised the bandaging. Luke noticed that Daniel was left handed. "Feel free to try and get along with her, but don't get your hopes up regarding getting anything of _that_ sorts out of it." He looked up at Luke and smirked deviously.

Luke blushed from embarrassment. "I wasn't-"

"What? I didn't imply anything about you," Daniel said, smiling as if he were innocent.

"Yeah, right. Sure.. ." Luke chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck.

| What's your story? |

| You seem to know what you're doing. |

 _ **| What's your relationship with Alicia like? |**_

| What do you know about the situation? |

"So, speakin' of that, if ya say you two ain't 'like _that_ ,' then what exactly's the relationship between you 'n her like? Not to pry or anything." Luke was curious of exactly who these people might be and what their relationships with each other were, if they were going to stay with them for the night.

"What can I say? I mean, we met a few years ago back in Los Angeles. There was just something about the two of us which drew us closer. I can't remember all the details, but we've been basically inseparable ever since," Daniel replied. "If you want to know why we're not… a thing, then it's more complicated. If there's time later, I might explain that part of the story to you."

"I get it. Sometimes it's better to just be friends?" Luke thought about Nick for a second.

"Right. Exactly," Daniel agreed.

 _ **| What's your story? |**_

| You seem to know what you're doing. |

| What do you know about the situation? |

| I'll leave you be now. |

"You probably think I'm bein' real nosy right now…" Luke smiled sheepishly.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind," Daniel reassured. "Ask away."

"I mean, I was just curious more about your past is all."

"I am a rather intriguing person, am I not?" Daniel grinned. "Joking. I'm not that self-centered. Anyways, there's not much to know about me. I had a rather depressing family and upbringing. They were walking stereotypes, and I was supposed to become either a doctor or an engineer. Eventually, one day, I decided I'd just make my own way and see how that went. I'll write my own story and leave something for others to remember me by…"

"I can imagine. Me and Nick know all about that," Luke said. "Not your family, I mean," he clarified. "I mean about wantin' to carve my own path and everything."

"I had a feeling we had something in common," Daniel responded, smiling.

| You seem to know what you're doing. |

 _ **| What do you know about the situation? |**_

| I'll talk to you later. |

"So, I was wondering if you knew anything more about what's goin' on with everything and the way the plague works. Alvin told me what was goin' on in Atlanta already at that place you were at," Luke said.

"Nothing that you wouldn't know. But I'm working on a theory as to how it works and why it's happening," Daniel replied.

"Oh, all right."

 _ **| You seem to know what you're doing. |**_

| Let me check on the rest. |

"You definitely look like you know what you're doin' here," Luke mentioned, looking over Daniel's patient. "You got some sorta medical experience or somethin'?"

"You're looking at the guy who dropped out of medical school after two weeks. So, yes, I suppose I have some knowledge in the field." Daniel let out a small laugh as he looked over the man, admiring his handiwork.

 _ **| Why did you drop out? |**_

| I understand. |

"Really? And here I was thinkin' you might be on your way to becomin' a doctor or somethin'. You seem plenty experienced enough to handle it," Luke supposed. "Was there somethin' else goin' on that made ya wanna leave medicine?"

Daniel seemed to be recalling something, but quickly shrugged it off and looked back at Luke. "I just knew I wouldn't be happy in the field of medicine. Sure, perhaps I'd be able to help people as a doctor, but it simply wasn't my true calling. It wasn't who I was, or am… I can tell that you understand what I'm saying."

 _ **| I do. |**_

| I do, but I don't really relate. |

"Yeah… I do," Luke responded. "You saw all the farmland surroundin' the house, right? My dad wanted me to inherit the farm 'n keep it up, but I knew I wanted a whole lot more outta life. When I went to college, he was real disappointed when I'd told him I was gonna major in art history and maybe I'd work in a museum or somethin'. But he just got frustrated and said I'd be better off doin' somethin' actually practical if I wasn't gonna keep the farm up for him. So I'd compromised with him and said I'd minor in agriculture too. The funny thing is neither of those things ever came to anything: I never got a job at any museum, and I guess I jus' still couldn't imagine myself stuck on this farm all my life."

"I don't blame you. Your farm was my med school. Neither of us would have been genuinely happy there," Daniel said. "I'm kind of surprised you were an art major, though... Never would've expected that coming from you."

"Is it 'cause I'm just your run-of-the-mill small town kinda guy?" Luke chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Maybe." Daniel smirked. He changed the subject. "You know, art is amazing, isn't it? The way we can express ourselves and create something that's not only beautiful to the eye, but something worth remembering."

"Yeah… There's something about the way we all can make a statement or try 'n get a message across, or just show people who we really are that I love."

Daniel smiled at Luke. "Definitely."

"I, uh, I should go check on the others now. Mom'll probably call you and the rest down for somethin' to eat in a while."

"Oh, right. Talk to you later?" Daniel turned around and looked over his patient again. The man was still unconscious.

"Yeah, sure." Luke wanted to follow up with Alicia for some reason. First of all, he found her pleasing to the eye based on what he'd seen, but he also supposed there was something else she might be concerned about or troubled by.

* * *

Luke found the dark-haired woman outside on the porch, leaning over the railing. She looked at him briefly and gave him an almost hostile glare before turning back around and resuming to seemingly ignore his presence.

"Well, shit. She doesn't seem too friendly anymore," Luke thought.

"Well? Don't just stand there staring at me like a total pervert. If you're going to talk, then say something already. If not, then leave me alone," she said icily, not even looking directly at him.

 _ **| I just wanted to talk. |**_

| Sorry. I won't bother you. |

"Huh? Oh, I jus' wanted to talk…" Luke responded.

"Get on with it then and say whatever it is you need to say." Alicia's raised her head haughtily, as if she were looking down on Luke despite being shorter than him.

"I was just wonderin' if you were okay. I dunno, I guess I just felt that maybe there was something wrong when I saw you upstairs?" Luke said.

"I'm fine. Fantastic. Thanks. Now, I would appreciate you leaving me alone." Alicia began rummaging around in her expensive-looking bag.

 _ **[ Try to keep talking to her ]**_

[ Leave her alone ]

"Hey, uh, I just wanna talk, you know?" Luke said. He put on that half-friendly, half-flirty smile he liked to use when conversing with the fairer sex.

Unfortunately, Alicia seemed utterly repulsed by that. She met his grin with an appalled look. "We've talked enough, farmboy. Yes, you and your mom are letting us stay for the night. So _thank you_ for that." She said it almost mockingly. "But that doesn't mean I have to get along with you at all. Especially considering the fact that you're just thirsty, if you catch my drift."

Luke was unsure of how to respond initially. He didn't even know what she meant by "thirsty." Fumbling with his words, he stammered, "I… Okay, uh, sorry, didn't mean nothin'…"

"That's sad." She sneered. "Talk to the hand, please." Alicia raised her palm so as to push Luke away from her.

"All right, all right! I'll leave ya alone. Just lemme go." Luke hung his head in shame as he walked back towards the door. He could smell the mouth-watering dinner Linda and Sharon had prepared for the guests, even from the porch. Even though he didn't particularly appreciate her attitude, Luke still decided to let Alicia know that it was almost supper time. "Hey, sorry t' bug ya again, but dinner's bein' served."

Alicia looked back at him again, with the same unamused look. "Maybe I've lost my appetite now."

Luke shrugged and exhaled. "Uh, yeah. Suit yourself."

She didn't respond, so Luke went back inside and sat down at the table. He contemplated asking Daniel more about any possible reasons Alicia had to act in such a hostile manner with him, but he set those thoughts aside as he joined the rest of the group for dinner. He supposed that a comforting meal and getting to know their guests more could distract him from the events of earlier that day and his altercation with Alicia.


	21. DISCONTINUED

**Author's Note:** Yes, this is probably exactly what you were expecting: the dreaded "I'm quitting" update that most fanfictions inevitably come to. I understand if this is a disappointment.

First and most importantly, I have lost the vast majority of my interest and passion in the cast of season two and the game as a whole. Going into this project, I had never anticipated what I would do if my opinions of the characters changed and I began to see them in a different light. Unfortunately, my interpretations and opinions on the cast have changed, and this devolved my future plans for _Just Keep Smilin'_ into something more like a personal rant/criticism of the canon story and its characters. Trust me, nobody who remotely enjoyed the season two cast would want to read the current plans for the plot of this story.

I think that it is therefore better to cut off here, as my current plans don't reflect the initial conception of this story. If you have read the entire story, then you know that I originally set it up as a chance to give the season two cast a chance in the limelight and insight on their characters. The current plans no longer reflect that and I unfortunately cannot bring myself to feel the same way about the game and its characters as I did when I first started writing this. I genuinely wanted to bring this project to completion, but I lament saying that that dream is unattainable at the moment. If I pushed myself to continue, the result would be totally unsatisfactory/disappointing for both you and me. If you read fanfiction often, you can tell when a writer has lost their passion for the subject matter, and that is exactly what _JKS_ would turn into if I forced myself to keep going.

Overall, I thank you for bothering to check the story out, even if it will never be complete. It truly means a lot that people would be interested in and read my writing. I hope you understand my reasons, and I hope you believe as I do that this is the best option for the story.

This is likely to be the end of my fanfiction career.

Thank you. And remember to smile.


End file.
